laugh
Americanverb (used without object)
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to express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements.
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to experience the emotion so expressed.
He laughed inwardly at the scene.
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to produce a sound resembling human laughter.
A coyote laughed in the dark.
verb (used with object)
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to drive, put, bring, etc., by or with laughter (often followed by out, away, down, etc.).
They laughed him out of town. We laughed away our troubles.
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to utter with laughter.
He laughed his consent.
noun
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the act or sound of laughing; laughter.
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an expression of mirth, derision, etc., by laughing.
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Informal. something that provokes laughter, amusement, or ridicule.
After all the advance publicity, the prizefight turned out to be a laugh.
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Informal. laughs, fun; amusement.
verb phrase
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laugh at
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to make fun of; deride; ridicule.
They were laughing at him, not along with him.
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to be scornful of; reject.
They stopped laughing at the unusual theory when it was found to be predictive.
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to find sympathetic amusement in; regard with humor.
We can learn to laugh a little at even our most serious foibles.
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laugh off to dismiss as ridiculous, trivial, or hollow.
He had received threats but laughed them off as the work of a crank.
idioms
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have the last laugh, to prove ultimately successful after a seeming defeat or loss.
She smiled slyly, because she knew she would yet have the last laugh on them.
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laugh up one's sleeve. sleeve.
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laugh it up, to laugh or joke in a hearty way.
He was laughing it up with his friends.
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laugh out of the other side of one's mouth, to undergo a chastening reversal, as of glee or satisfaction that is premature; be ultimately chagrined, punished, etc.; cry: Also laugh on the wrong side of one's mouthface.
She's proud of her promotion, but she'll laugh out of the other side of her mouth when the work piles up.
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laugh out of court, to dismiss or depreciate by means of ridicule; totally scorn.
His violent protests were laughed out of court by the others.
verb
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(intr) to express or manifest emotion, esp mirth or amusement, typically by expelling air from the lungs in short bursts to produce an inarticulate voiced noise, with the mouth open
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(intr) (esp of certain mammals or birds) to make a noise resembling a laugh
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(tr) to utter or express with laughter
he laughed his derision at the play
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(tr) to bring or force (someone, esp oneself) into a certain condition by laughter
he laughed himself sick
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to make fun (of); jeer (at)
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to read or discuss something with laughter
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informal I don't believe you for a moment
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informal to be unashamedly pleased at making a lot of money
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to show open contempt or defiance towards a person
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informal to laugh loudly and coarsely
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to laugh or have grounds for amusement, self-satisfaction, etc, secretly
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to show sudden disappointment or shame after appearing cheerful or confident
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informal to be in a favourable situation
noun
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the act or an instance of laughing
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a manner of laughter
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informal a person or thing that causes laughter
that holiday was a laugh
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the final success in an argument, situation, etc, after previous defeat
Synonym Usage
Laugh, chuckle, grin, smile refer to methods of expressing mirth, appreciation of humor, etc. A laugh may be a sudden, voiceless exhalation, but is usually an audible sound, either soft or loud: a hearty laugh. Chuckle suggests a barely audible series of sounds expressing private amusement or satisfaction: a delighted chuckle. A smile is a (usually pleasant) lighting up of the face and an upward curving of the corners of the lips (which may or may not be open); it may express amusement or mere recognition, friendliness, etc.: a courteous smile. A grin, in which the teeth are usually visible, is like an exaggerated smile, less controlled in expressing the feelings: a friendly grin.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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laughsimple
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laughssimple
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have laughedperfect
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has laughedperfect
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am laughingprogressive
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are laughingprogressive
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is laughingprogressive
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have been laughingperfect progressive
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has been laughingperfect progressive
Past
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laughedsimple
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had laughedperfect
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was laughingprogressive
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were laughingprogressive
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had been laughingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of laugh
First recorded before 900; Middle English laughen, Old English hlæh(h)an (Anglian); cognate with Dutch, German lachen, Old Norse hlǣja, Gothic hlahjan
Explanation
To let out a chuckle or giggle is to laugh: people laugh when something is funny. To chortle, cackle, guffaw, or titter is to laugh. The job of a comedian is to make people laugh. Often people laugh at things that aren't supposed to be funny, and people also laugh to be polite. If something is silly, you can say "That's a laugh!" If you had fun at a party, you can say "Thanks for the laughs." Everybody's laugh sounds a little different. It would be a shame if your laugh sounded like Elmer Fudd.
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.
See Examples For:
He’s a tall man with a deep voice, an easy laugh and a warm embrace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
It’s why she largely sinks in dramas but succeeds in comedies, where she can portray a version of herself that makes people laugh just by thinking, “Isn’t it so funny that Jennifer Aniston said that?”
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Poppy, nine, whose father, Able Seaman Daniel Turnbull, died in 2020 from leukaemia, asked him: "What makes you laugh when you've had a difficult day?"
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Friends recalled her body-shaking laugh and one remembered her dancing on a tabletop during a birthday party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
I knew he wanted to laugh too, but he wouldn’t look at me.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
“It’s just straight up me, and if I suck, I suck,” he laughs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
“User laughs with friend at dinner at 5:15 p.m. Audio is recognized and logged by AI,” the filing says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"People always think it's crazy that you travel all over just to catch some pixels," she laughs.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“You never believe what Mick says,” Richards laughs the next day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Ray laughs as he takes out the rubber floor mats.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
When asked if this was workable, they both laughed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
She laughed recalling how Hamawy returned to Gaza on another medical mission after all of her efforts to help get him out.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Price laughed when it was suggested that the early track “Can’t Stand Still” reads like an anti-trad wife anthem.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
The day Contreras got the shocking news, at a routine immigration hearing, he said officials laughed when he asked for a stay extension because his wife was about to have their first child.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
I laughed and laughed even if it did hurt my old head.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
"I've got huge dark circles under my eyes," she told AFP, laughing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
"It was the first time, it was all pretty much new to me," he said, adding the main issue was keeping a straight face and not laughing.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Few performers could make your blood run cold one minute and have you laughing the next.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Graham had to temper their expectations, recalled Alexander, 69, laughing at the memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Gabi grabs me and pulls me in for a massive hug when I get back to my seat, and I can’t help laughing.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
