laughing

American

[laf-ing, lah-fing] / ˈlæf ɪŋ, ˈlɑ fɪŋ /

adjective

that laughs or is given to laughter.

a laughing child.
uttering sounds like human laughter, as some birds.
suggesting laughter by brightness, color, sound, etc..

a laughing stream; laughing flowers.
laughable.

The increase in crime is no laughing matter.

noun

laughter.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of laughing

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at laugh, -ing ¹, -ing ²

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.

“After it went in, I was laughing pretty hard,” Ehlers said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

After both fighters predicted victory in their unification fight, lightweight champion Topuria, 29, pushed interim title holder Gaethje, who responded by laughing off the incident.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

Whether the lawyers were laughing when they typed this is known only to them.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026

Some 4,000 miles away, Chris Richards pops up on screen, laughing as he says: "I'm trying to bring the old school vibe back!"

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

It seemed like I was laughing too much.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

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