in stitches

Idioms  

1. Laughing uncontrollably, as in Joke after joke had me in stitches. Although the precise idiom dates only from about 1930, Shakespeare had a similar expression in Twelfth Night (3:2): “If you desire the spleen, and will laugh yourselves into stitches, follow me.” Stitches here refers to the sharp local pain (known as a stitch in the side) that can make one double over, much as a fit of laughter can.

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Example Sentences

The only time the audience wasn’t in stitches was when Romano literally needed them.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

"Every time I see it I'm just in stitches," she says.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2025

Then we're the ones who miss out when we don't wait, because Phoebe was the one who had everybody in stitches every day.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2024

For a show that has its audience in stitches, “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha” is not without solemnity.

From New York Times • May 21, 2024

That’s where Redd Foxx was the dishwasher who kept the kitchen crew in stitches.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey