laughter

[ laf-ter, lahf- ]
See synonyms for: laughterlaughters on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the action or sound of laughing.

  2. an inner quality, mood, disposition, etc., suggestive of laughter; mirthfulness: a man of laughter and goodwill.

  1. an expression or appearance of merriment or amusement.

  2. Archaic. an object of laughter; subject or matter for amusement.

Origin of laughter

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English hleahtor; cognate with Old High German hlahtar,Old Norse hlātr;see laugh

Other words from laughter

  • laugh·ter·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use laughter in a sentence

  • A broken, lurching music came from them, a nasal melody that moaned among the laughters.

    Erik Dorn | Ben Hecht
  • How in this chorus of laughters, joyous and terrible, is the laughter of Shakespeare distinguishable?

  • Her almond eyes were of some fantastic shade of sapphire-blue with deep gray twilights in them and sea-green laughters.

    Carnival | Compton Mackenzie
  • Jacky stopped suddenly, and withdrew from the laughters in lofty offence.

    Merkland | Mrs. Oliphant
  • Prue's callings have ceased; the small laughters, exclamations, appeals, have died into silence.

    Doctor Cupid | Rhoda Broughton

British Dictionary definitions for laughter

laughter

/ (ˈlɑːftə) /


noun
  1. the action of or noise produced by laughing

  2. the experience or manifestation of mirth, amusement, scorn, or joy

Origin of laughter

1
Old English hleahtor; related to Old Norse hlātr

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012