belly laugh

American  

noun

1. a deep, loud, hearty laugh.

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belly laugh British  

noun

1. a loud deep hearty laugh

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Etymology

Origin of belly laugh

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

His older sister, Averie, was a protector who “beat up everybody for me from age 3 to like 15,” Domingo says, letting out an extended belly laugh.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

“Laughter is everything. When you laugh — like a real belly laugh — you’re letting out your inner self,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

There are moments in the show that aren't necessarily there to make you have a belly laugh, but they make you smile.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2023

The Legion, of course, riffs off of DC Comics’ Legion of Doom, complete with the Riddler and Gorilla Grodd wearing the famed dictator’s moustache, a scene more than worth a belly laugh.

From Washington Times • Apr. 5, 2023

“You see, Chaplain, I’m right. You can’t give me a belly laugh, can you?”

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller