laugh 1 of 2

verb

ˈlaf How to pronounce laugh (audio)
Definition of laughnext
1
as in to giggle
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound everyone laughed when the clown dramatically slipped and fell

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to smile
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions you're going to try out for the football team? Don't make me laugh!

Synonyms & Similar Words

laugh

2 of 2

noun

1
as in chuckle
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement the child's frown turned into a laugh when he saw the clown

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hoot
someone or something that is very funny that new sitcom is a laugh

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter the film comedy had a good laugh in just about every scene

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of laugh
Verb
And for those of you who’ve spent many happy hours laughing at the Road Runner getting the better of his fanatical pursuer, you’ll be touched to discover that the two have a mutual respect and are even — gasp — friends. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 The harassment from teammates began after that, per the lawsuit, and included exclusion from team meetings, refusal to acknowledge her presence, laughing at her and threatening her only friend not to hang out with her. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
Doug Elmets, longtime spokesman for the tribe, said that Opper’s laugh was infectious and his life perspective wonderful. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026 Why take on the challenge of finding laughs in a manager who instead is sensitive, kindhearted? — Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for laugh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laugh
  1. giggle
  2. smile
  3. chuckle
  4. hoot
  5. joke
  6. scream
  7. sneer
  8. laughter
Verb
  • Include a Joke Include a joke that makes your kid giggle at the lunch table.
    — Sarah Scott, Parents, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Everyone is giggling about his vocabulary, but they’re still charmed.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of giggle
Verb
  • In 2012, a smiling Jason Arday was photographed by the British press carrying the Olympic flame in the torch relay that preceded the London Games.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • So there sat Pecko on Tuesday afternoon atop a bench inside Dakin Park’s first-base dugout, smiling to hide nerves before the biggest day of his baseball life.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of smile
Noun
  • Brian Leonard’s smartly funny ode to his difficult daughter — a child whose behavior was so problematic, the family cycled through 28 therapists — offers plenty of chuckles, even with key questions left unanswered.
    — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The risk, though, with horror-comedy—with dinging from chuckles to shrieks and back again—is always an evacuated center.
    — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of chuckle
Noun
  • The End of Oak Street is a hoot and a half, but its resolutions yield far more questions than actual answers.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Baez is Paloma Blanca, and to see her in this role is a hoot.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of hoot
Noun
  • There are moments, say at a fan’s family home in Casablanca, when a joke gets lost in translation.
    — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
  • And then there’s the Ren Faire episode, where a McPoyle brothers’ cameo portends a closing joke so distressing my innocent little brain rejected all the warnings of its arrival.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of joke
Verb
  • She was awakened in the middle of the night by her barking dog and the sound of a woman screaming in the street.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Audio from her cousin's phone call to the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service captured 15-year-old Layan describing the chaotic scene around her, amid the sound of gunfire and screaming, before the call dropped.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of scream
Verb
  • If traditional noir drew much of its energy from sneering with style at America’s sunny master narratives, those narratives have largely broken down, as has the homogenous mass-media ecosystem that endlessly recirculated them.
    — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • But the Velvets were sneering at the false dichotomy between those things back in the ’60s.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of sneer
Noun
  • Nolan Wells should have turned 19 surrounded by a birthday cake, candles and laughter.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter, and endless adventures!
    — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of laughter

Phrases Containing laugh

Browse Nearby Words

lauds
laugh
laughable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laugh. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on laugh

Nglish: Translation of laugh for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All