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guffaw

[guh-faw, guh-]
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noun

a loud, unrestrained burst of laughter.

verb (used without object)

to laugh loudly and boisterously.

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RELATED WORDS

laughter, roar, shout, snort, shriek, howl, howling

Nearby words

  1. guevara,
  2. guevara, che,
  3. guevara, ernesto “che”,
  4. guevarist,
  5. guff,
  6. gugb,
  7. guggenheim,
  8. guggenheim museum,
  9. guggle,
  10. guglet

Origin of guffaw

First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps imitative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for guffaw

British Dictionary definitions for guffaw

guffaw

noun

a crude and boisterous laugh

verb

to laugh crudely and boisterously or express (something) in this way

Word Origin for guffaw

C18: of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for guffaw

guffaw

n.

1720, Scottish, probably imitative of the sound of coarse laughter. Cf. gawf (early 16c.) "loud, noisy laugh." The verb is from 1721. Related: Guffawed; guffawing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper