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Synonyms

ha-ha

1 American  
[hah-hah, hah-hah] / ˈhɑˈhɑ, ˌhɑˈhɑ /
Or haha,

interjection

  1. (used as an exclamation or representation of laughter, as in expressing amusement or derision.)

ha-ha 2 American  
[hah-hah] / ˈhɑˌhɑ /

noun

  1. sunk fence.

ha-ha 1 British  
/ ˈhɑː ˈhɑː /

interjection

  1. a representation of the sound of laughter

  2. an exclamation expressing derision, mockery, surprise, etc

"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
ha-ha 2 British  
/ ˈhɑː hɑː /

noun

  1. a wall or other boundary marker that is set in a ditch so as not to interrupt the landscape

"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

Etymology

Origin of ha-ha1

before 1000; Middle English, Old English; of imitative origin

Origin of ha-ha2

1705–15; < French haha repetitive compound based on ha! exclamation of surprise

Explanation

A ha-ha is either an abrupt laugh or a wall that's sunken into the ground so that people can see over it. And if you find sunken walls humorous, you can let out a ha-ha when you see a ha-ha. You might respond to a joke with a ha-ha, or say it sarcastically when your brother tells his dumb knock-knock joke again. Landscape designers use ha-ha in a completely different way: it's a kind of ditch with a retaining wall built into it. Ha-has were historically used to keep grazing animals out of gardens while providing the illusion of uninterrupted expanses of lawn. The name comes from the expression of surprise as someone discovers the hidden wall.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An inverted ha-ha: It’s an odd name for a raised mound of earth around a property.

From New York Times • May 6, 2023

The effect is a little schizoid, however, and it’s hard to know how to take the series at first, what’s meant to be funny ha-ha and what’s meant to be funny strange.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2022

So “Comedy” isn’t exactly intended to be ha-ha funny, though it sometimes is.

From Washington Post • Mar. 9, 2022

We played it straight so it’s not ha-ha slap-stick comedy, and he was one of the highlights for sure.

From Fox News • May 31, 2021

The post sounded all lighthearted and ha-ha funny.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.