laugh
Americanverb (used without object)
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to express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements.
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to experience the emotion so expressed.
He laughed inwardly at the scene.
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to produce a sound resembling human laughter.
A coyote laughed in the dark.
verb (used with object)
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to drive, put, bring, etc., by or with laughter (often followed by out, away, down, etc.).
They laughed him out of town. We laughed away our troubles.
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to utter with laughter.
He laughed his consent.
noun
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the act or sound of laughing; laughter.
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an expression of mirth, derision, etc., by laughing.
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Informal. something that provokes laughter, amusement, or ridicule.
After all the advance publicity, the prizefight turned out to be a laugh.
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Informal. laughs, fun; amusement.
verb phrase
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laugh at
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to make fun of; deride; ridicule.
They were laughing at him, not along with him.
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to be scornful of; reject.
They stopped laughing at the unusual theory when it was found to be predictive.
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to find sympathetic amusement in; regard with humor.
We can learn to laugh a little at even our most serious foibles.
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laugh off to dismiss as ridiculous, trivial, or hollow.
He had received threats but laughed them off as the work of a crank.
idioms
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have the last laugh, to prove ultimately successful after a seeming defeat or loss.
She smiled slyly, because she knew she would yet have the last laugh on them.
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laugh up one's sleeve. sleeve.
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laugh it up, to laugh or joke in a hearty way.
He was laughing it up with his friends.
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laugh out of the other side of one's mouth, to undergo a chastening reversal, as of glee or satisfaction that is premature; be ultimately chagrined, punished, etc.; cry: Also laugh on the wrong side of one's mouthface.
She's proud of her promotion, but she'll laugh out of the other side of her mouth when the work piles up.
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laugh out of court, to dismiss or depreciate by means of ridicule; totally scorn.
His violent protests were laughed out of court by the others.
verb
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(intr) to express or manifest emotion, esp mirth or amusement, typically by expelling air from the lungs in short bursts to produce an inarticulate voiced noise, with the mouth open
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(intr) (esp of certain mammals or birds) to make a noise resembling a laugh
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(tr) to utter or express with laughter
he laughed his derision at the play
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(tr) to bring or force (someone, esp oneself) into a certain condition by laughter
he laughed himself sick
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to make fun (of); jeer (at)
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to read or discuss something with laughter
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informal I don't believe you for a moment
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informal to be unashamedly pleased at making a lot of money
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to show open contempt or defiance towards a person
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informal to laugh loudly and coarsely
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to laugh or have grounds for amusement, self-satisfaction, etc, secretly
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to show sudden disappointment or shame after appearing cheerful or confident
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informal to be in a favourable situation
noun
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the act or an instance of laughing
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a manner of laughter
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informal a person or thing that causes laughter
that holiday was a laugh
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the final success in an argument, situation, etc, after previous defeat
Synonym Usage
Laugh, chuckle, grin, smile refer to methods of expressing mirth, appreciation of humor, etc. A laugh may be a sudden, voiceless exhalation, but is usually an audible sound, either soft or loud: a hearty laugh. Chuckle suggests a barely audible series of sounds expressing private amusement or satisfaction: a delighted chuckle. A smile is a (usually pleasant) lighting up of the face and an upward curving of the corners of the lips (which may or may not be open); it may express amusement or mere recognition, friendliness, etc.: a courteous smile. A grin, in which the teeth are usually visible, is like an exaggerated smile, less controlled in expressing the feelings: a friendly grin.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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laughsimple
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laughssimple
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have laughedperfect
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has laughedperfect
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am laughingprogressive
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are laughingprogressive
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is laughingprogressive
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have been laughingperfect progressive
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has been laughingperfect progressive
Past
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laughedsimple
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had laughedperfect
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was laughingprogressive
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were laughingprogressive
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had been laughingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of laugh
First recorded before 900; Middle English laughen, Old English hlæh(h)an (Anglian); cognate with Dutch, German lachen, Old Norse hlǣja, Gothic hlahjan
Explanation
To let out a chuckle or giggle is to laugh: people laugh when something is funny. To chortle, cackle, guffaw, or titter is to laugh. The job of a comedian is to make people laugh. Often people laugh at things that aren't supposed to be funny, and people also laugh to be polite. If something is silly, you can say "That's a laugh!" If you had fun at a party, you can say "Thanks for the laughs." Everybody's laugh sounds a little different. It would be a shame if your laugh sounded like Elmer Fudd.
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.
See Examples For:
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis had pioneered a new brand of comedy, soothed postwar America’s psyche and made a nation laugh again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
It would be impolite not to try to laugh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"It was either laugh in the face of fear or cry."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The superintendent himself served as the master of ceremonies, with performers weaving around him, cameos by celebrities, and slide projections and film sequences appearing on cue to supplement his applause and laugh lines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Duke and Duchess would have something to laugh about for a long time, and Sancho, something to remember and talk about all his life.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Eighty years ago, though the Arsenal of Democracy had vanquished the Axis and weathered a withering Depression, the recovering American people found themselves rich in bills but short on laughs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
"If you're not sweating after the first song, come on," laughs McPherson.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“User laughs with friend at dinner at 5:15 p.m. Audio is recognized and logged by AI,” the filing says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"There's absolutely, and I can categorically say, zero chance that our film could have been funded by the CIA," he laughs heartily.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Mika, on the bench by her daughter, laughs.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
After a while they laughed, changed the subject and found something they could agree upon.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
Baker laughed and shook his head before calling Chipper by his first name, Larry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"And he just laughed about it as we all did. He just was a great person."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Graham later was dismissive of those attacks, Holder said, adding that he was unapologetic about his association with Trump and often laughed at the crowds gathered outside to protest him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Myself, he had told me on the train while we both laughed.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Evans came out to a big roar and produced the trademark dragons symbol of the Welsh team before bursting out laughing.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“There was so much laughter. Even on those days we were pulling hair out, we were laughing so loud,” Lacy said of his studio sessions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Everyone froze and jumped onto the site—we probably delayed a lot of model progression,” King said, laughing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
"I've got huge dark circles under my eyes," she told AFP, laughing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
I was still laughing when Grandma hallowed from the house, “Jay Berry, is that you?”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
