laugh

/lɑ:f/

Definition

Noun:
- The act or sound of laughing: The physical expression or audible sound produced when someone is amused or happy.
- Something that causes laughter: An amusing incident, joke, or person that provokes laughter.
Verb:
- To make the spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement and sometimes also of derision: To express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs.
- To be in a cheerful or lively mood: To show or feel amusement or happiness.

Usage and Examples

As a noun:
- She has a very contagious laugh. (Her sound of amusement is easily spread to others.)
- The comedian's story got a big laugh from the audience. (The joke provoked a strong reaction of amusement.)
As a verb (intransitive):
- The children laugh when they watch cartoons. (They express amusement audibly.)
- It's healthy to laugh every day. (Expressing amusement is beneficial for health.)
As a verb (transitive):
- He laughed a hearty laugh. (He expressed a full, sincere sound of amusement.)
- She laughed her approval. (She expressed agreement through her amusement.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

"To laugh at": To react with laughter, often directed at someone or something, which can range from shared amusement to mockery.
- It's rude to laugh at someone's mistakes. (To mock someone's errors is impolite.)
- We all laughed at the funny movie. (We shared amusement caused by the film.)
"To have the last laugh": To ultimately succeed or be proven right after earlier doubt or mockery from others.
- They doubted her idea, but she had the last laugh when it became a huge success. (She was ultimately proven successful.)

Variants and Related Words

Laughter (n): The act or sound of laughing.
- The room was filled with laughter.
Laughable (adj): So ridiculous as to be amusing.
- His excuse was laughable.
Laugher (n): A person who laughs, or (informal) a very easy victory.
- She's a frequent laugher.

Synonyms

Related Phrasal Verbs

Laugh off: To dismiss something embarrassing or serious by treating it with humor.
- He tried to laugh off the criticism.
Laugh away: To dispel a feeling or time by laughing.
- They laughed away their anxieties.
Laugh down: To silence or reject someone or something by collective laughter or scorn.
- The audience laughed down the poor performer.

Related Idioms

Don't make me laugh: Said to show you think what has been suggested is ridiculous or impossible.
- "You think he'll apologize? Don't make me laugh!"
Laugh all the way to the bank: To make a lot of money easily, especially when others thought you would not.
- The critics hated his book, but he's laughing all the way to the bank.
Laugh in someone's face: To show open contempt or disrespect for someone by laughing at them directly.
- When I asked for a raise, he just laughed in my face.
Laugh on the other side of one's face: To change from feeling happy or triumphant to feeling disappointed or humiliated.
- He's boasting now, but he'll be laughing on the other side of his face when he sees the results.
He who laughs last laughs longest (or best): The person who succeeds in the end, after others have failed or been ridiculed, gains the ultimate satisfaction.
- They mocked my training methods, but he who laughs last laughs best—my team won the championship.

Noun

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 his own jest
- even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point
a facial expression characteristic of a person laughing
- his face wrinkled in a silent laugh of derision
the sound of laughing

Verb

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