laugher

laugh

 (lăf, läf)

v. laughed, laugh·ing, laughs

v.intr.

1. To express certain emotions, especially mirth or delight, by a series of spontaneous, usually unarticulated sounds often accompanied by corresponding facial and bodily movements.

2. To show or feel amusement or good humor: an experience we would laugh about later on.

3.

a. To feel or express derision or contempt; mock: I had to laugh when I saw who my opponent was.

b. To feel a triumphant or exultant sense of well-being: You won't be laughing when the truth comes out.

4. To produce sounds resembling laughter: parrots laughing and chattering in the trees.

v.tr.

1. To affect or influence by laughter: laughed the speaker off the stage; laughed the proposal down.

2. To say with a laugh: He laughed his delight at the victory.

n.

1.

a. The act of laughing.

b. The sound of laughing; laughter.

2. Informal Something amusing, absurd, or contemptible; a joke: The solution they recommended was a laugh.

3. often laughs Informal Fun; amusement: went along just for laughs.

Phrasal Verbs:

laugh at

To treat lightly; scoff at: a daredevil who laughed at danger.

laugh off (or away)

To dismiss as ridiculously or laughably trivial: laughed off any suggestion that her career was over.

Idioms:

laugh all the way to the bank

To take glee in making money, especially from activity that others consider to be unimpressive or unlikely to turn a profit.

laugh out of the other side of (one's) mouth

To see one's good fortune turn to bad; suffer a humbling reversal.

laugh up/in (one's) sleeve

To rejoice or exult in secret, as at another's error or defeat.

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[Middle English laughen, from Old English hlæhhan, probably ultimately of imitative origin.]

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laugh′er n.

laugh′ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

laugh•er

(ˈlæf ər, ˈlɑ fər)

n.

1. a person who laughs.

2. Informal. a contest or competition in which one person or team easily overwhelms another; easy victory.

[1375–1425]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	laugher - a person who is laughing or who laughs easily individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" giggler, titterer - a person who laughs nervously
	2.	laugher - an easy victory       blowout, romp, runaway, shoo-in, walkaway triumph, victory - a successful ending of a struggle or contest; "a narrow victory"; "the general always gets credit for his army's victory"; "clinched a victory"; "convincing victory"; "the agreement was a triumph for common sense"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.