Definition

1. Noun:

   • A loud, harsh, braying sound: The characteristic cry of a donkey or mule, often described as "hee-haw."
   • A loud, raucous laugh: A laugh that resembles the braying sound of a donkey, often implying it is crude, unrestrained, or foolish.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To bray like a donkey: To make the loud, harsh cry characteristic of a donkey or mule.
   • To laugh loudly and raucously: To laugh in a loud, harsh, and often foolish manner.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The only sound from the field was the occasional hee-haw of a donkey.
  • He let out a loud hee-haw of laughter at the silly joke.

• Verb:

  • The donkey hee-hawed loudly when it saw its owner.
  • The audience hee-hawed at the comedian's exaggerated pratfall.

Advanced Usage

• Onomatopoeic Use: "Hee-haw" is primarily an onomatopoeic word, meaning it phonetically imitates the sound it describes. This is its most common and fundamental usage.
• Derogatory Connotation for Laughter: When used to describe human laughter, it often carries a negative connotation, suggesting the laughter is stupid, vulgar, or unsophisticated.
  • His hee-hawing during the serious speech was very inappropriate.

Variants and Related Words

• Bray (verb/noun): The more standard term for the sound a donkey makes. "Hee-haw" is the onomatopoeic representation of a bray.
• Guffaw (noun/verb): A loud, boisterous laugh. While similar, a "guffaw" is not specifically compared to an animal sound.

Synonyms

• Noun (for sound): Bray, braying.
• Noun (for laugh): Guffaw, roar, cackle.
• Verb (to make sound): Bray.
• Verb (to laugh): Guffaw, roar, howl.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

• To laugh like a donkey/hyena: An idiom suggesting loud, harsh, and foolish laughter, similar to "hee-hawing."
  • He didn't just chuckle; he laughed like a donkey at the cartoon.

Noun

1. a loud laugh that sounds like a horse neighing

Verb

1. braying characteristic of donkeys