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
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
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
Examples 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
Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
In response, Tim laughed and pretended to cry while writing a check.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 9 Jan. 2025
Former President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump, who have mocked each other for years going back to Trump‘s fanning of conspiracy theories about Obama’s citizenship, sat next to each other Thursday and talked for several minutes, even sharing a laugh.
—Bill Barrow and Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for laugh 
Verb
So did her husband, former President Barack Obama, who could be seen conversing, smiling and laughing with Trump, his White House successor, for several minutes before the start of Carter's funeral.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025
In response, Tim laughed and pretended to cry while writing a check.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
As hundreds poured into the pews of the world’s sixth oldest cathedral, Obama and Trump were seen seated sharing a laugh.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 9 Jan. 2025
Former President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump, who have mocked each other for years going back to Trump‘s fanning of conspiracy theories about Obama’s citizenship, sat next to each other Thursday and talked for several minutes, even sharing a laugh.
—Bill Barrow and Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for laugh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laugh
Verb
-
The beauty mogul wasn’t spotted walking the red carpet with her boyfriend but was seen during Nikki Glaser's opening monologue, giggling at a couple of jokes about Chalamet.Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
-
To which, Kylie giggled and laughed at her boyfriend.Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The images depicting Bass smiling alongside attendees, including Ghanaian leaders and other U.S. delegates, have sparked widespread backlash.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
-
Photos from the event showed Trump and Jill Biden speaking to each other and smiling, an unexpected interaction between political foes.Marina Pitofsky, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
One lucky family got a hoot of a tree topper this Christmas!Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 20 Dec. 2024
-
The comments are a hoot FBI text message warning: What to know about keeping your information safe The use of AI in higher education has received pushback from some due to concerns surrounding academic integrity and privacy.Helen Rummel, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Humor is a helpful tool in dealing with tension and stress, so making jokes about an incident that can help manage the feelings of cognitive dissonance and helplessness news like this can elicit.Callum Booth, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
-
Speaking over Zoom, Vidal told me that in 2019 many people took Trump’s suggestion about buying Greenland as a joke.John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Wednesday, the 53-year-old entrepreneur chuckled before admitting that pledge probably wasn’t realistic.Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025
-
The star of The Bear , too, could barely refrain from chuckling at the sight of the photo.Gil Macias, People.com, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
This sneering put-down is even more bizarre than the swipe at Carter’s phantom operatic output.Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
-
These lions are white, aggressive, and led by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen, instantly entering the canon of sneering Disney villains).David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
But Gen Zers have recast the emoji as a symbol of hysterical laughter.Aarushi Bhandari, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025
-
The fun didn’t end there, as Welch photo-bombed while the Powells posed for the professional photographer 10 minutes later, with Welch popping his head behind Powell's parents' shoulders, to O'Hara's laughter.Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Suddenly, a woman is yanked through a mirror — a moment punctuated by the funniest shriek this side of the Wilhem scream — and the plot is pulled into the ’80s: a critical framing shift that’s never once made explicit.Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Jan. 2025
-
Break out three giant claps, a dazzling smile and a deafening scream.Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to laugh
Thesaurus Entries Near laugh
Cite this Entry
“Laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laugh. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share