laugh
UK /lɑːf/ · US /læf/ noun, verb
Forms laughs laughing laughed laughest laughedst laugheth laff laughe larf
- noun An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. “His deep laughs boomed through the room.”
- noun Something that provokes mirth or scorn. “Your new hat's an absolute laugh, dude.”
- noun (UK, New Zealand) A fun person. “a good laugh”
- verb (intransitive) To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter. “There were many laughing children running on the school grounds.”
- verb (intransitive, figuratively, obsolete) To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.
- verb (intransitive, followed by "at") To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock. “Don't laugh at my new hat, man!”
- verb (transitive) To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.
- verb (transitive) To express by, or utter with, laughter.
Synonyms
cackle chortle chuckle giggle guffaw snicker snigger titter cachinnation joke laughing stock laughter gag jest jape express joy express mirth
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English laughen, laghen, from (Anglian) Old English hlæhhan, hlehhan, (West Saxon) hliehhan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną.
Germanic: Scots lauch (“to laugh”), Yola leeigh, leigh (“to laugh”), North Frisian laache, lachi, laake, loache, lååke (“to laugh”), Saterland Frisian laachje (“to laugh”), West Frisian laitsje (“to laugh”), Alemannic German lache (“to laugh”), Cimbrian lachan (“to laugh”), Dutch, German, and Low German lachen (“to laugh”), Luxembourgish laachen (“to laugh”), Yiddish לאַכן (lakhn, “to laugh”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish le (“to laugh”), Elfdalian läa (“to laugh”), Faroese læa (“to laugh”), Icelandic hlæja (“to laugh”), Norwegian Nynorsk le, læ, læja (“to laugh”), Crimean Gothic lachen (“to laugh”), Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hlahjan, “to laugh”).
Indo-European: Breton kloc'h (“bell”), Irish clog (“bell; clock”), Manx and Scottish Gaelic clag (“bell”), Welsh cloch (“bell”), Russian клекота́ть (klekotátʹ), клокота́ть (klokotátʹ), клохта́ть (kloxtátʹ, “to cluck, cackle”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter.
- verb Fig.: To be or appear gay, cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.
- verb To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.
- verb To express by, or utter with, laughter; --with out. From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause. Shak.
Etymology [OE. laughen, laghen, lauhen, AS. hlehhan, hlihhan, hlyhhan, hliehhan; akin to OS. hlahan, D. & G.lachen, OHG. hlahhan, lahhan, lahh, Icel. hlæja. Dan. lee, Sw. le, Goth. hlahjan; perh. of imitative origin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “laugh”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details