laughter
Americannoun
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the action or sound of laughing.
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an inner quality, mood, disposition, etc., suggestive of laughter; mirthfulness.
a man of laughter and goodwill.
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an expression or appearance of merriment or amusement.
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Archaic. an object of laughter; subject or matter for amusement.
noun
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the action of or noise produced by laughing
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the experience or manifestation of mirth, amusement, scorn, or joy
Other Word Forms
- laughterless adjective
Etymology
Origin of laughter
before 900; Middle English; Old English hleahtor; cognate with Old High German hlahtar, Old Norse hlātr; laugh
Explanation
Whether you giggle or chuckle or snort with amusement, what you're producing is laughter. Laughter is also what people hear when you laugh. Funny movies, your friends' jokes, and absurd or embarrassing situations all cause laughter, which is the word for both the action and the sound of someone laughing. Laughter can be a silent, shaking movement, or a loud guffaw. There are a few other primates besides humans who experience laughter, and most babies can shake with laughter before they're even able to speak.
Vocabulary lists containing laughter
Comedy Lingo
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 6
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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.
The audience should be taken by surprise and realize, in the middle of their laughter, just how truly clever the joke is, causing them to laugh even harder.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
Carney was referring to a viral image of a jar of nutella floating through the Orion space capsule, and his question had the crew in fits of laughter.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Videos he’s posted show them howling with laughter while dozens of fat fish jump all around them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
But now I could recount it all with ease, even with laughter.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
There was a shout of laughter from the people around.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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.
