canned laughter

Idioms  

1. Also, canned music. Prerecorded sound effects that can be played repeatedly, as in That canned laughter doesn't make his jokes any funnier, or Canned music is greatly reducing the number of musical jobs available. O. Henry had the term in his story, Cabbages and Kings (1903): “We'll export canned music to the Latins.” Canned laughter today is often used in broadcasting to simulate the reaction of a nonexistent live audience. [c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

Leanne says kindly, earning a few gales of canned laughter.

From Salon

"All the footage was covered in Japanese graphics, it's got Japanese narration, canned laughter, sound effects, it's a cacophony of noise and graphics," she explains.

From BBC

It was pretty quiet except for a sudden burst of canned laughter from the neighbor’s TV and the occasional buzzing from an annoying mosquito.

From Literature

It’s fascinating to watch the delicate tonal balance Porkalob works with in this play, flipping from downright goofy and showy moments worthy of canned laughter to something more down-to-earth as menace oozes from every Zach action.

From Seattle Times

Their Michael continually clicks over from reality into an imaginary TV show where saxophones and canned laughter take the sting out of his pain.

From New York Times