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.

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

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

laughing

“What’s nice is when he’s 92, we can keep going because of social media,” Stuart said, laughing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

“That joker is a big boy, for sure,” Turner said, laughing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

"Most people have got bets on when we're coming back," Dani said, laughing.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

He’s too busy feathering his own nest while laughing off any pretense of ethical behavior.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

We wrestled over it, laughing as we tried to keep the spray of water toward the tub.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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