laughter
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to laughter: Laughter is the best medicine
laugh·ter
(lăf′tər, läf′-)n.
1. The act of laughing.
2. The sound produced by laughing.
3. Archaic A cause or subject for laughter.
[Middle English, from Old English hleahtor.]
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.
laughter
(ˈlɑːftə)n
1. the action of or noise produced by laughing
2. the experience or manifestation of mirth, amusement, scorn, or joy
[Old English hleahtor; related to Old Norse hlātr]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
laugh•ter
(ˈlæf tər, ˈlɑf-)n.
1. the action or sound of laughing.
2. an experiencing of the emotion expressed by laughing.
3. an expression or appearance of merriment.
4. Archaic. an object of laughter.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English hleahtor, c. Old High German hlahtar, Old Norse hlātr; see laugh]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Laughter
See also humor.
relating to foolish or excessive laughter. [Allusion to Democritus, the laughing philosopher, born in Abdero.]
raucous laughter; loud whinnying.
a form of divination that determines a person’s character or future from the way he laughs.
the quality or condition of being merry or cheerful. — jocund, adj.
an abnormal fear or dislike of ridicule.
1. the ability or disposition to laugh.
2. a humorous awareness of the ridiculous and absurd.
3. laughter.
2. a humorous awareness of the ridiculous and absurd.
3. laughter.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Laughter
a clutch of eggs; a group of ostlers—Bk. of St. Albans, 1486.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Laughter
See Also: GAIETY, GRINS, HUMOR, SMILES
- As the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool —The Holy Bible/Ecclesiastes
- Basically when you laugh you have to make a fool of yourself … it’s like sex —Robin Williams, “Sixty Minutes” interview, September 21, 1986
- Chuckle … it sounded like a trapped wasp —Jonathan Gash
- Chuckles … empty and round, like bubbles —Dan Jacobson
- Chuckling like a jovial insurance salesman —James Crumley
- Contralto laughter, like a violin obligato under trills of a flute —Carlos Baker
- A dry crackle like leaves crushed underfoot —Louise Erdrich
- Dry laughter like the cackle of crows or the crackling of fallen leaves underfoot —Margaret Laurence
- Giggled … like a naughty child which has unintentionally succeeded in amusing the grown-ups —Christopher Isherwood
- (They kissed. And) giggled like cartoon mice —Tom Robbins
- Giggle, like a child watching a Hollywood adventure film —Nadine Gordimer
- A good laugh is sunshine in a house —William Makepeace Thackeray
- Heavy, melodious laughter, like silver coins shaking in a bag —Aharon Megged
- Her braying laugh rang out like the report of a shotgun —James Thurber
- Her laugh broke like a dish —Cynthia Ozick
- Her laugh crackled … like a leap of electricity —Richard Francis
- Her laugh pealed out like a raven escaping into the night —Donald McCaig
- Her laugh rang like the jangling of bracelets —Derek Walcott
- Her laughter hung in the air like sleigh bells on a winter night —Jay Parini
- Her laughter was a titanic, passionate thing that seemed to pass up like a wave from her toes to her mouth —Pat Conroy
- High laugh, like a dove cry —Eudora Welty
- A high laugh like a wicked witch —Carolyn Chute
- His laughter thickened like a droning bell —James Wright
- A hoarse, very small laugh, like a cat’s cough —Frank Swinnerton
- A horrifying derisive laugh, like rolling tin —Barry Hannah
- Laugh … as if a demon within him were exulting with gloating scorn —Iris Murdoch
- (Louisa’s) laugh begins high and descends from there like a cascade —Daphne Merkin
- Laughed, a little drugged giggle, like chatter —Paul Theroux
- Laughed contemptuously like a whore being offered too little money —Gary Hart
- Laughed, like a bowlful of jelly —Clement C. Moore
- Laughed like a windup machine —John D. MacDonald
- Laughed like monkeys —Richard Ford
- Laughed like murmurs of the sea —W. B. Yeats
- Laughed … like the trill of a hedge-warbler —Frank Swinnerton
- A laugh exploded out of me like a sneeze —Scott Spencer
- Laughing, a sound like wind in the grass —T. Coraghessan Boyle
- A laugh is just like sunshine —Anon rhyme
The simile is the poem’s repeat motif.
- Laugh … like the barking of a fox —Erich Maria Remarque
- Laugh … like a bird’s carol on the sunrise breeze —John Greenleaf Whittier
- Laugh like a hyena —William Shakespeare
This simile from As You Like It crops up in many a modern short story and novel.
- Laugh … like a spoon tinkling against a medicine glass —Katherine Mansfield
- Laugh … like a thrush singing —Oscar Wilde
- A laugh like clapboards being ripped off the side of a house —Peter De Vries
- Laughs [in a film] … come out of despair, like bits of green in a graveyard —Walter Goodman about the movie, No Surrender, New York Times, August 6, 1986
- Laughs like a rhinoceros —Tom Davies
The person Davies described was Samuel Johnson.
- Laughs like little bells in light wind —George Garrett
- Laughter … checked by small clutches of muscle, like tiny fists, at the corners of his mouth —Leonard Michaels
- Laughter crackling like a schoolgirl who has not experienced enough of the world to fear it —Ira Wood
- Laughter cruel as barbed wire —George Garrett
- Laughter falls like rain or tears —Dame Edith Sitwell
- Laughter fell like a shower of coins —George Garrett
- Laughter … high and free and musical, like a happy soprano limbering up —Harvey Swados
- Laughter hung smoke-like in the sudden stillness —Ralph Ellison
- Laughter … keeps coming like a poison that must be ejected —Nora Johnson
- Laughter leaped suddenly from her throat … then stopped, like something flung away and lost —Graham Swift
- Laughter like hiccoughs —T. Coraghessan Boyle
- Laughter, light and restrained like the clatter of rolling nuts —Yisrael Zarchi
- Laughter lonelier than tears —Anonymous blurb preceding a humorous quote, New York Times Book Review/Noted With Pleasure, September 14, 1986
- The laughter of a fool is like that of a horse —Welsh proverb
See Also: FOOLISHNESS, STUPIDITY
- Laughter roared through the spectators like wind through trees —Gerald Kersh
- Laughter spilled out of his prodigious frame like gravel being unloaded from a dump truck —Pat Conroy
- A laugh that rippled … like the sound of a hidden brook —O. Henry
- A laugh that rumbles like a freight train in the night —Michael Goodwin about sports broadcaster, Steve Zabriskie, New York Times/TV Sports, October 2, 1986
- A laugh that unfolds like a head of lettuce —Antler
- Let out a cackle of a laugh, like the sound a hen might make if the hen were mad about something —Larry McMurtry
- Men who never laugh may have good hearts, but they are deep seated; like some springs, they have their inlet and outlet from below, and show no sparkling bubble on the brim —Josh Billings
Words originally in Billings’ phonetic dialect are: ‘laff (laugh), ‘hav’ (have), ‘sum’ (some).
- A most pleasant laugh, bubbly and controlled, like fine champagne —Margaret Millar
- Peal of laughter like the ringing of silvery bells —Nathanial Hawthorne
- A queer stage laugh, like the cackle of a baffled villain in a melodrama —Edith Wharton
- (Boutin’s mouth opened from ear to ear in) a roar of laughter, like the bursting of a mortar —Honoré de Balzac
- She laughed, sounding like a small barking dog —Robert Campbell
- She pursed her lips each time she laughed, making laughter seem a gesture of self-control —W. P. Kinsella
- A silvery laugh, like a brook running out to meet the river —Mike Fredman
- A slow ripple of laughter, like a scattering of autumn leaves —Robert Traver
- A snort of a chuckle like a bull-frog —Lawrence Durrell
- Some … laugh just as a rat does, who has caught a steel trap, with his tail —Josh Billings
In the original phonetic dialect this is: “Laff just az a rat duz, who haz caught a steel trap with his tale.”
- The sound [of laughter] was like the whirring of an old grandfather clock before it strikes —Frank Swinnerton
- Stopped laughing as suddenly as if a set ring had been broken —Loren D. Estleman
- A sudden fizz of laughter like soda water —George Garrett
- Tittering like a small bird —Beryl Markham
- Twinkled like Old King Cole —Donald McCaig
- When he laughed, a satyr-like quality suffused his face —Nathaniel Benchley
- When she does laugh … it’s like polished crystal, like a stream in the Alps racing over a pebbly bed here below, like … like another simile —Hanoch Bartov
For anyone interested in multiple similes … here’s the simile itself to round up a medley of comparisons.
- When she laughed it was as if a wren sang —Frank Swinnerton
- When she was about to laugh, her tone grew higher and melodious, easing into the laugh like a singer easing from recitative to an aria —Lynne Sharon Schwartz
- Wrinkles of laughter leaped into sight on his face, like small friendly insects running all over it —Romain Gary
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | laughter - the sound of laughing utterance, vocalization - the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication cachinnation - loud convulsive laughter cackle - a loud laugh suggestive of a hen's cackle giggle - a foolish or nervous laugh belly laugh, guffaw - a burst of deep loud hearty laughter titter - a nervous restrained laugh |
2. | laughter - the activity of laughing; the manifestation of joy or mirth or scorn; "he enjoyed the laughter of the crowd" activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
laughter
noun
1. chuckling, laughing, giggling, chortling, guffawing, tittering, cachinnation Their laughter filled the corridor.
2. amusement, entertainment, humour, glee, fun, mirth, hilarity, merriment Pantomime is about bringing laughter to thousands.
Quotations
"If we may believe our logicians, man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter" [Joseph Addison]
"The only honest art form is laughter, comedy. You can't fake it ... try to fake three laughs in an hour - ha ha ha ha ha - they'll take you away, man. You can't" [Lenny Bruce Performing and the Art of Comedy]
"As the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool" Bible: Ecclesiastes
"If we may believe our logicians, man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter" [Joseph Addison]
"The only honest art form is laughter, comedy. You can't fake it ... try to fake three laughs in an hour - ha ha ha ha ha - they'll take you away, man. You can't" [Lenny Bruce Performing and the Art of Comedy]
"As the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool" Bible: Ecclesiastes
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
laughter
nounAn act of laughing:
Informal: heehaw.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
ضَحِكٌضَحْك
smích
lattergrin
nauruvitsi
smijehhihot
nevetés
hlátur
笑い声
웃음
smeh
skratt
เสียงหัวเราะ
tiếng cười
laughter
[ˈlɑːftəʳ]A. N (gen) → risa f, risas fpl; (= guffaws) → risotadas fpl, carcajadas fpl
their laughter could be heard in the next room → se oían sus risas or se les oía reír desde la habitación de al lado
there was loud laughter at this remark → el comentario provocó carcajadas or grandes risas
she let out a shriek of laughter → soltó una sonora carcajada or risotada
to burst into laughter → soltar la carcajada
laughter is the best medicine → la risa es el mejor antídoto
see also roar A1, B1
their laughter could be heard in the next room → se oían sus risas or se les oía reír desde la habitación de al lado
there was loud laughter at this remark → el comentario provocó carcajadas or grandes risas
she let out a shriek of laughter → soltó una sonora carcajada or risotada
to burst into laughter → soltar la carcajada
laughter is the best medicine → la risa es el mejor antídoto
see also roar A1, B1
B. CPD laughter lines NPL → arrugas fpl producidas al reír
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
laughter
[ˈlɑːftər] nCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
laughter
n → Gelächter nt; laughter broke out among the audience → das Publikum brach in Gelächter aus; children’s laughter → Kinderlachen nt; he shook with silent laughter → er schüttelte sich vor Lachen; at this there was loud laughter → das rief lautes Gelächter hervor; there was a little nervous laughter → ein nervöses Lachen war zu hören
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
laughter
[ˈlɑːftəʳ] n → risata; (laughing) → risohe roared with laughter → si è fatto una fragorosa risata
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
laugh
(laːf) verb to make sounds with the voice in showing happiness, amusement, scorn etc. We laughed at the funny photographs; Children were laughing in the garden as they played.
noun an act or sound of laughing. He gave a laugh; a loud laugh.
ˈlaughable adjective1. ridiculous or deserving scorn. Her attempts at drawing were laughable.
2. amusing; comical.
ˈlaughably adverbˈlaughingly adverb
as a joke. She suggested laughingly that he should try it himself.
ˈlaughter noun the act or sound of laughing. We could hear laughter / the sound of laughter from the next room.
ˈlaughing-stock noun someone who is laughed at. If I wear that hat, I'll be a laughing-stock.
laugh at to make it obvious that one regards something or someone as humorous, ridiculous or deserving scorn. Everyone will laugh at me if I wear that dress!; The others laughed at his fears.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
laughter
→ ضَحِكٌ smích latter Gelächter γέλιο risas nauru rire smijeh ridere 笑い声 웃음 gelach munterhet śmiech risada смех skratt เสียงหัวเราะ kahkaha tiếng cười 笑声Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
laughter
n. risa, carcajada.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012