laugh

1 of 2

verb

ˈlaf How to pronounce laugh (audio)
ˈläf
laughed; laughing; laughs

intransitive verb

1
a
: to show emotion (such as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound
The audience was laughing hysterically.
b
: to find amusement or pleasure in something
laughed at his own clumsiness
c
: to become amused or derisive
a very skeptical public laughed at our early effortsGraenum Berger
2
a
: to produce the sound or appearance of laughter
a laughing brook
b
: to be of a kind that inspires joy
the blue sky of Autumn laughs aboveAmy Lowell

transitive verb

1
: to influence or move by laughter
laughed the bad singer off the stage
2
: to utter with a laugh
laughs her consent
laughingly adverb

laugh

2 of 2

noun

1
: the act of laughing
2
a
: a cause for derision or merriment : joke
b
: an expression of scorn or mockery : jeer
3
laughs plural : diversion, sport
play baseball just for laughs

Examples of laugh in a Sentence

Verb What are you laughing about? The audience was laughing hysterically. I've never laughed so hard in my life. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw what he was wearing. I laughed out loud when I saw him. He laughed so hard I thought he'd die laughing. The movie was hilarious. We laughed our heads off. “I've never seen anything so ridiculous,” he laughed. Noun He gave a loud laugh. a joke that always gets a big laugh The movie has a lot of laughs. You're going to be a movie star? That's a laugh.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
At the end, Maddie laughed and the pair gave each other a high five. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 25 May 2024 Unfortunately, his favorite tools are also his downfall — Adam dies by chainsaw, laughing himself into a gory clown abyss. Ew Staff, EW.com, 24 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for laugh 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'laugh.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English hliehhan; akin to Old High German lachēn to laugh

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of laugh was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near laugh

Cite this Entry

“Laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laugh. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

laugh

1 of 2 verb
ˈlaf How to pronounce laugh (audio)
ˈlȧf
1
a
: to show emotion (as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound
b
: to become amused
2
: to utter with a laugh
she laughed, "What fun!"
laugher noun

laugh

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act or sound of laughing
2
a
: something funny
that game was a real laugh
b
: something deserving scorn
He's an expert? That's a laugh

More from Merriam-Webster on laugh

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