laughingstock

[ laf-ing-stok, lah-fing- ]

/ ˈlæf ɪŋˌstɒk, ˈlɑ fɪŋ- /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR laughingstock ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an object of ridicule; the butt of a joke or the like: His ineptness as a public official made him the laughingstock of the whole town.

RELATED WORDS

dupe, sport, mockery, butt

Nearby words

laughing gas, laughing gull, laughing jackass, laughing matter, laughing stock, laughingstock, laughlin, laughlin air force base, laughter, laughter club, laughton

Origin of laughingstock

First recorded in 1525–35; laughing + stock

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for laughingstock

Unprepared, and a laughingstock because of his handicap, Yarvi is bullied on every front—even by his mother.
A Fantasy Titan Invades the YA Kingdom|William O’Connor|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Democrats, on the other hand, started out as a laughingstock.
Speed Read: Kenneth Vogel’s ‘Big Money’ Shows How PACs Control Politics|William O’Connor|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Would Obama be the laughingstock of the country if his campaign ads featured a bubbly jingle?
The Strange History of Political Campaign Songs (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|October 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The duke could ill bear ridicule, and if this story got abroad he would be the laughingstock of Czernova.
The Shadow of the Czar|John R. Carling

I'll not only become the laughingstock o' the minister and his wife, but the whole town will join in with ready chorus.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland|Various
As for you, Mr. Roger Verbeck, you will be the laughingstock of the city to-morrow, so prepare to be ridiculed.
The Black Star|Johnston McCulley
And now she was making a laughingstock of the lad among the neighbours.
Through Welsh Doorways|Jeannette Augustus Marks
I have made you a laughingstock, as I promised, but I am not done with you yet.
The Black Star|Johnston McCulley