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What is "laugh"

Crossword clues for laugh

laugh
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
laugh
I.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a nervous smile/laugh/giggle
▪ ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said, with a nervous smile.
an audience laughs
▪ He has the ability to make an audience laugh.
an embarrassed smile/laugh/grin
▪ Lucy gave an embarrassed smile and looked down at her feet.
be no laughing matter (=be something serious and important, though it might seem funny)
▪ A doctor’s bad handwriting is no laughing matter, because it can lead to errors.
belly laugh
fell about laughing
▪ It was so funny everyone just fell about laughing.
give a smile/laugh/grin/frown/yawn etc
▪ She gave a little frown.
▪ Joel gave me a smile as I walked in.
▪ He gave her a big hug.
harsh voice/laugh/tone etc
▪ His voice was harsh and menacing.
have sb laughing/crying etc
▪ Within minutes he had the whole audience laughing and clapping.
laugh at sb’s jokes
▪ A few people laughed at his jokes, but some didn’t find them funny.
laugh lines
laugh track
laugh with delight
▪ ‘That’s a brilliant idea’! she said, laughing with delight.
laughed heartily
▪ Hugh laughed heartily at the joke.
laugh/groan/cry etc aloud
▪ The pain made him cry aloud.
▪ She could have laughed aloud.
laughing gas
laughing stock
▪ The programme has made the U.S. a laughing stock.
Life is not...a barrel of laughs
▪ Life is not exactly a barrel of laughs at the moment.
made...a laughing stock
▪ The programme has made the U.S. a laughing stock.
manage to smile/speak/laugh etc
▪ ‘Why do you hate me so much?’ he managed to say.
sarcastic manner/smile/laugh etc
▪ ‘I thought so,’ she said with a sarcastic smile.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
aloud
▪ Quddus left the room, laughing aloud.
▪ Uncrossing her ankles, she managed not to laugh aloud.
▪ She wanted to laugh aloud at the prospect of the delight she would give.
▪ However his ringing peroration struck most of those present as being ridiculous, and many laughed aloud.
▪ So, when he treated me like this, I laughed aloud.
▪ He looked, stared, then laughed aloud and moved.
▪ Jurnet laughed aloud, the sound rumbling comfortably round the little church.
heartily
▪ This they did two or three times, forgetting my presence, and laughed heartily at the mistake.
▪ He too laughs heartily, his face growing red with sake.
▪ Pearce laughs heartily at the recollection.
▪ At this, Kay Collins laughs heartily.
▪ Derek, laughing heartily, gave me the key and I let myself in to meet my birthday present.
▪ Across the room, a table of young men in fitted shirts is laughing heartily and splashing out wine.
■ VERB
stop
▪ Very good they are too: it's taken me a whole month to stop laughing!
▪ She apologizes for her rudeness, but can not stop laughing.
▪ Some of the audience had stopped laughing, too but not out of pity for Lucie.
▪ Charlie had stopped laughing by then and had taken a mouthful of beer while he listened to whatever it was Jack said.
▪ Polly caught the look on his face and stopped laughing.
▪ But somewhere along the line they stopped laughing when they compared their own results with what we were achieving.
▪ He had been recommended to see Ken's show, took a box for the evening and couldn't stop laughing.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be a barrel of laughs
▪ It wasn't a barrel of laughs, but I learned a lot.
be a bundle of laughs/fun
be good for a laugh
▪ Let's go watch Brent play volleyball. That'll be good for a laugh.
▪ Might be good for a laugh.
▪ She almost knew her performance was good for a laugh, sometimes a kiss.
drink/laugh/scare etc yourself silly
▪ Well, I laughed myself silly.
hollow laugh/voice etc
laugh/cry hard
▪ Suddenly, he came inside crying hard.
laugh/shout/scream etc your head off
▪ By this time Irene was emitting a steady gurgle of contentment, when she wasn't laughing her head off.
▪ If Hancock himself had been around, he would have doubtless squirmed as the audience laughed their heads off.
▪ Joey stood in the door laughing his head off and Noreen peered over his shoulder, her hands over her mouth.
▪ Louise: Ursula would have laughed her head off.
▪ Old Warleigh would laugh his head off if I put reasons like that to him.
▪ Then he tips her down and she's screaming her head off.
▪ Tony races past, laughing his head off.
▪ You were screaming your head off.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "It won't even be cold when we get there," Sabina laughed.
▪ I laughed all the way through the film.
▪ I couldn't understand what they were all laughing about.
▪ I thought Dad would be angry, but he just laughed.
▪ No-one laughed at his jokes.
▪ We just looked at each other and burst out laughing.
▪ We were laughing so hard we couldn't stop.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Frankly, we don't know whether to laugh or cry.
▪ Humans can be reduced to tears by tickling, but most of the time we laugh because of auditory cues.
▪ Looking down, she saw him beside a bush, only half concealed, laughing at her face.
▪ Mrs Meiers blamed me because I laughed.
II.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
big
▪ It got the biggest laugh of the night, so we decided to keep it in.
bitter
▪ She shook her head as a short, unexpectedly bitter laugh bubbled up from her chest.
▪ Everyone was laughing; it was a bitter, unpleasant laugh which the Collector recognized as the sound of despair.
▪ A bitter laugh rose up like bile in her throat.
deep
▪ She watched his rugged composure, heard his deep, distinctive laugh and felt anger swelling inside.
▪ She had a deep, rich laugh that showed all her teeth.
▪ He practised a deep evil laugh, sounded real spooky and sinister.
good
▪ Johnson got a good laugh out of it.
▪ We all had a good laugh about that.
▪ And perhaps a good laugh was the best contribution after all.
▪ I had a good laugh about it and eventually she saw the funny side.
▪ There's always a reason to have a good laugh.
▪ It's always a good laugh watching him getting increasingly irritated with the interviewer after a humiliating defeat.
▪ The Mahatma had a good laugh.
great
▪ And, if I prefer House to Garden, it is because it both touches deeper chords and garners even greater laughs.
▪ The greatest laugh they enjoyed was pretending Patsy was a little girl.
▪ It's bursting with great laughs and good gags.
▪ It's a great laugh for Dickie but Beefy's in agony.
hard
▪ If they laughed, then, a moment later, he contributed a loud, hard, unnatural-sounding laugh.
hearty
▪ My flesh crept as he unleashed a hearty laugh and motioned me towards the chair.
▪ He has a hearty laugh that takes a long time to end once it begins.
light
▪ The proper response was a light laugh and a phrase that turned the advice aside.
little
▪ I give a little laugh and Peter looks over at me and hits it again, harder this time.
▪ She even mentioned it to Mel with a vicious little laugh that afternoon, and he felt sorry for the girl.
▪ Lee said, breathing a little laugh through his nose.
loud
▪ It was a loud laugh which Sandison would have found embarrassing if there had been lots of people in the bar.
▪ Occasionally a shout or a loud laugh broke the gloom.
▪ A loud, evil laugh rang out through the silent night.
low
▪ Rather, his low laugh held a note that sent unexpected shivers down her spine.
▪ As the mourners left, Lydia heard a low laugh and sat up on her rug, thinking suspiciously of her ears.
▪ The boy sat up suddenly and laughed a strange, low laugh.
▪ He laughs a low laugh of relief.
nervous
▪ The humour was heavy-handed and, in response to Simon Franks' nervous laugh, Blanche smiled politely.
▪ A nervous laugh, because she was beginning to feel uneasy.
▪ She was a shy, quiet woman in her mid-twenties with a tinkling nervous laugh.
▪ The silence that followed was finally broken by a nervous laugh from one of the men-at-arms.
shaky
▪ Lindsey gave a shaky laugh as he moved closer.
short
▪ The Woman unclenched her fists, gave a short laugh and sat down again.
▪ When she finished he gave a short laugh and bowed his head.
small
▪ Ben, following a few paces behind, gave a small laugh, but it was unrelated to his father's comment.
▪ Ana gave a small, gurgling laugh and Maggie leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
■ NOUN
track
▪ They want to make screwball romantic comedies but they wind up producing sitcoms that look lost without a laugh track.
▪ Television producers exploit this by using laugh tracks dubbed into the soundtracks of comedies.
▪ We want to make the first feature film with a laugh track.
■ VERB
get
▪ I get a laugh out of it.
▪ Johnson got a good laugh out of it.
▪ When you win, you get the last laugh.
▪ It got the biggest laugh of the night, so we decided to keep it in.
▪ Of course, this also means Dunston, played by an adorable and talented ape named Sam, gets all the laughs.
▪ Once getting laughs was all that mattered.
▪ You go on and get your laugh now.
give
▪ Kelly sat in the jockeys' stand at Sandown and gave a quiet laugh.
▪ He gave out a thin laugh.
▪ Let's hope your redundancy cheques gave you the last laugh.
▪ As soon as she saw this, she gave a delighted laugh, and pushed me out of the gate.
hear
▪ He heard her mocking laugh as, arm in arm with her sister, she strode off down the corridor.
▪ She heard Miranda gasp a little laugh and did not wish to see why.
▪ I just heard this fabulous laugh, like a whole octave, top to bottom.
▪ The lights came on, and they heard a man's laugh.
▪ As the mourners left, Lydia heard a low laugh and sat up on her rug, thinking suspiciously of her ears.
raise
▪ My job is to raise laughs and cancer is hardly conducive.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be a barrel of laughs
▪ It wasn't a barrel of laughs, but I learned a lot.
be a bundle of laughs/fun
be good for a laugh
▪ Let's go watch Brent play volleyball. That'll be good for a laugh.
▪ Might be good for a laugh.
▪ She almost knew her performance was good for a laugh, sometimes a kiss.
burst out laughing/crying/singing etc
▪ At that point I burst out laughing.
▪ Charles didn't respond and after a frozen pause, she collapsed into a chair and burst out crying.
▪ He did it so cleverly that you would think it was the real thing - until he burst out laughing.
▪ I came down the steps of the Ashbery that morning and burst out laughing at the heat.
▪ I said and burst out crying.
▪ Julie, surprised, burst out laughing.
▪ The whole group bursts out laughing.
▪ The woman and children burst out laughing again, getting up from the table and crowding round me.
die laughing
▪ Rebecca told me this joke on the phone today, and I almost died laughing.
▪ I just died laughing because it was sick too.
drink/laugh/scare etc yourself silly
▪ Well, I laughed myself silly.
force a smile/laugh etc
▪ He forces a smile, and Beulah smiles back.
▪ I forced a smile and then turned and fled to my room.
▪ I forced a smile on seeing him.
▪ The girls forced smiles as they had been taught, but Sandi, in revenge, also crossed her eyes.
▪ The man turned out to be Alan Stewart, the comedian, who managed to force a smile as Roy apologised.
go flying/laughing/rushing etc
▪ Any minute I expected the poor little madman to go flying in the night, dead.
▪ Bodies not strapped in by seat belts go flying.
▪ But shouldn't you try and find out some more about him before you go rushing off?
▪ It tripped on a book and almost went flying, but it just succeeded in remaining upright.
▪ So why had she gone rushing north from Lima to see this half-brother of hers?
▪ Spit went flying, seen by millions.
▪ The doll and blanket went flying, bounced off the far end of the block, and fell into the make-believe river.
▪ The next member of the team took his place at the stumps only to see both bails go flying.
hollow laugh/voice etc
laugh/cry hard
▪ Suddenly, he came inside crying hard.
laugh/shout/scream etc your head off
▪ By this time Irene was emitting a steady gurgle of contentment, when she wasn't laughing her head off.
▪ If Hancock himself had been around, he would have doubtless squirmed as the audience laughed their heads off.
▪ Joey stood in the door laughing his head off and Noreen peered over his shoulder, her hands over her mouth.
▪ Louise: Ursula would have laughed her head off.
▪ Old Warleigh would laugh his head off if I put reasons like that to him.
▪ Then he tips her down and she's screaming her head off.
▪ Tony races past, laughing his head off.
▪ You were screaming your head off.
piss yourself (laughing)
▪ He felt very cold, and he had pissed himself.
▪ No older girl has ever pissed herself on account of Laverne before.
▪ We both pissed ourselves laughing afterwards, wondering what all the fuss was about.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "She says she'll be here early to help." "That's a laugh."
▪ She gave a little nervous laugh and glanced towards Robyn.
Related phrases:
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Laugh

Laugh \Laugh\, v. t.

  1. To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.

    Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy?
    --Shak.

    I shall laugh myself to death.
    --Shak.

  2. To express by, or utter with, laughter; -- with out. From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause. --Shak. To laugh away.

    1. To drive away by laughter; as, to laugh away regret.

    2. To waste in hilarity. ``Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune.'' --Shak. To laugh down.

      1. To cause to cease or desist by laughter; as, to laugh down a speaker.

      2. To cause to be given up on account of ridicule; as, to laugh down a reform.

        To laugh one out of, to cause one by laughter or ridicule to abandon or give up; as, to laugh one out of a plan or purpose.

        To laugh to scorn, to deride; to treat with mockery, contempt, and scorn; to despise.

Laugh

Laugh \Laugh\ (l[aum]f), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Laughed (l[aum]ft); p. pr. & vb. n. Laughing.] [OE. laughen, laghen, lauhen, AS. hlehhan, hlihhan, hlyhhan, hliehhan; akin to OS. hlahan, D. & G. lachen, OHG. hlahhan, lahhan, lahh[=e]n, Icel. hl[ae]ja,W Dan. lee, Sw. le, Goth. hlahjan; perh. of imitative origin.]

  1. 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.

    Queen Hecuba laughed that her eyes ran o'er.
    --Shak.

    He laugheth that winneth.
    --Heywood's Prov.

  2. Fig.: To be or appear gay, cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.

    Then laughs the childish year, with flowerets crowned.
    --Dryden.

    In Folly's cup still laughs the bubble Joy.
    --Pope.

    To laugh at, to make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride.

    No wit to flatter left of all his store, No fool to laugh at, which he valued more.
    --Pope.

    To laugh in the sleeve, To laugh up one's sleeve, to laugh secretly, or so as not to be observed, especially while apparently preserving a grave or serious demeanor toward the person or persons laughed at.

    To laugh out, to laugh in spite of some restraining influence; to laugh aloud.

    To laugh out of the other corner of the mouth or To laugh out of the other side of the mouth, to weep or cry; to feel regret, vexation, or disappointment after hilarity or exaltation. [Slang]

Laugh

Laugh \Laugh\, n. An expression of mirth peculiar to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. See Laugh, v. i.

And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.
--Goldsmith.

That man is a bad man who has not within him the power of a hearty laugh.
--F. W. Robertson.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
laugh

late 14c., from Old English (Anglian) hlæhhan, earlier hlihhan, from Proto-Germanic *klakhjan (cognates: Old Norse hlæja, Danish le, Old Frisian hlakkia, Old Saxon hlahhian, Middle Dutch and Dutch lachen, Old High German hlahhan, German lachen, Gothic hlahjan), from PIE *kleg-, of imitative origin (compare Latin cachinnare "to laugh aloud," Sanskrit kakhati "laughs," Old Church Slavonic chochotati "laugh," Lithuanian klageti "to cackle," Greek kakhazein). Originally with a "hard" -gh- sound, as in Scottish loch; the spelling remained after the pronunciation shifted to "-f."\n\nIf I coveted nowe to avenge the injuries that you have done me, I myght laughe in my slyve.

[John Daus, "Sleidanes Commentaries," 1560]

\nRelated: Laughed; laughing.
laugh

1680s, from laugh (v.). Meaning "a cause of laughter" is from 1895; ironic use (as in that's a laugh) attested from 1930. Laugh track "canned laughter on a TV program" is from 1961.

Wiktionary
laugh

n. 1 An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. 2 Something that provokes mirth or scorn. 3 (label en UK) A fun person. vb. 1 (label en 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. 2 (label en intransitive obsolete figuratively) To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport. 3 (label en intransitive followed by "at") To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock. 4 (label en transitive) To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule. 5 (label en transitive) To express by, or utter with, laughter.

Related phrases:
WordNet
laugh

  1. n. the sound of laughing [syn: laughter]

  2. a facial expression characteristic of a person laughing; "his face wrinkled in a silent laugh of derision"

  3. a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter; "he told a very funny joke"; "he knows a million gags"; "thanks for the laugh"; "he laughed unpleasantly at hisown jest"; "even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point" [syn: joke, gag, jest, jape]

laugh

v. produce laughter [syn: express joy, express mirth] [ant: cry]

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Laugh (album)

Laugh is the sixth studio album by Keller Williams, released in 2002.

Laugh (disambiguation)

A laugh is an expression of mirth particular to the human species.

Laugh may also refer to:

  • Laugh (album), a 2002 album by Keller Williams
  • Laugh (band), a precursor of the band Intastella
  • Laugh Comics, a comic book produced by Archie Comics from 1946 to 1987
  • Laugh (Terry Hall album), 1997 album by Terry Hall
Laugh (Terry Hall album)

Laugh is the second solo-album by the British singer Terry Hall. It was released in 1997 on the Southsea Bubble Company label. Hall wrote the majority of the album with guitarist Craig Gannon and collaborated with several acclaimed musicians namely singer-songwriter Stephen Duffy, The High Llamas's bandleader Sean O'Hagan and most notably Damon Albarn of Blur, whom Hall had collaborated with on Hall's 1995 EP Rainbows. The album was produced by Hall with Gannon and Cenzo Townshend. It received good reviews when original released on CD in October 1997 and peaked at number fifty on the UK Albums Chart and includes the singles "Ballad of a Landlord" and " I Saw the Light".

A special edition of the album was released in 2009 by Edsel record label. The new version featured all of the b-sides from the two singles along with liner notes by Rhoda Dakar.

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "laugh".

Everett were just stepping out of the stables when they spied Abigail and Moira strolling toward them, talking and laughing.

Both Abigail and Moira laughed with delight as they sought to hold down the billowing cloth.

When he had turned on one of the impudent young bucks with a sudden snarl, Acer had laughed at him for his inability to take a joke.

Pasgen would read in her words how much her arms ached to curve around a small, warm body, to hold a child that wriggled and laughed and cuddled against her for comfort.

The magistrate was acquainted with the girl, and the mother laughed at having duped me so easily.

I declined to be present at his suppers, which were far from amusing, and gave the family of the actress an opportunity of laughing at the poor fool who was paying for them.

I courted her, but she only laughed at me, for an actress, if in love with someone, is a fortress which cannot be taken, unless you build a bridge of gold, and I was not rich.

Andrea went off without answering him, laughing at the acumen still left to this cracked wit.

Although I had much ado to refrain from laughing at the vexation and disappointment which appeared on all their faces, I succeeded in preserving my serious air.

And let no one laugh at this poor adolescent who comes up with advice on matrimonial matters in which obviously he cannot be an expert.

He also related almost all the adventures that Sancho had recounted, which both astonished them and made them laugh, for they thought what everyone thought: it was the strangest kind of madness that had ever afflicted an irrational mind.

I think of starting on the road to resume my adventurous life, I laugh at myself in the mirror.

He was affable to everyone, easy-going, laughing a great deal and giving the impression of enjoying life in every way.

The princess, for her part, seemed to enjoy the attention of the foreign prince, talking with him animatedly and occasionally even laughing softly, something Ager had never heard her do before.

Kamposea Agora, several times, bringing her to worship at the Cmiral, spending an entire afternoon with her in the Temple of Xothei, laughing as she marveled at its great dome and listening as she explained how the Ceneians had built it in near antiquity.