laugh
verb/lɑːf/
/læf/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they laugh | /lɑːf/ /læf/ |
| he / she / it laughs | /lɑːfs/ /læfs/ |
| past simple laughed | /lɑːft/ /læft/ |
| past participle laughed | /lɑːft/ /læft/ |
| -ing form laughing | /ˈlɑːfɪŋ/ /ˈlæfɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to make the sounds and movements of your face that show you think something is funny or silly
- to laugh out loud
- to laugh loudly/aloud/heartily
- When I heard her excuse, I just laughed.
- I was laughing so hard that I had tears running down my cheeks.
- The show was hilarious—I couldn't stop laughing.
- laugh at something You never laugh at my jokes!
- laugh about something They were laughing hysterically about something he had said.
- She always makes me laugh.
- He burst out laughing (= suddenly started laughing).
- She laughed to cover her nervousness.
- I told him I was worried but he laughed scornfully.
- She laughed and said, ‘You silly man!’
- + speech ‘You're crazy!’ she laughed.
Vocabulary Building Different ways of laughingDifferent ways of laughing- cackle to laugh in a loud, unpleasant way
- chuckle to laugh quietly, especially because you are thinking about something funny
- giggle to laugh in a silly way because you are embarrassed, nervous or you think something is funny
- guffaw to laugh noisily
- roar to laugh very loudly
- snigger/snicker to laugh in a quiet, unpleasant way, especially at something rude or at somebody’s problems or mistakes
- titter to laugh quietly, especially in a nervous or embarrassed way
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsa1- Emilio tilted his head back and laughed good-naturedly.
- She laughed, and he found himself laughing with her.
- He laughed heartily at his own joke.
- She looked so funny I just had to laugh.
- He pulled a funny face to make us laugh.
- She realized how she had been fooled, and laughed bitterly.
- I have not heard an audience laugh so hard for a long time.
- I heard him suddenly laugh aloud.
- I laughed uneasily, trying to make light of the moment.
- I thought she would be angry but she just laughed.
- I was watching them and trying not to laugh.
- It looked so funny that I almost laughed out loud.
- It was so funny we just fell about laughing.
- Sam shook her head, laughing in amusement.
- He laughed slightly as he saw my expression.
- She smiles and laughs easily.
- He spent time talking and laughing with the children.
- She was fooling around and we couldn't stop laughing.
- The audience laughed at his jokes.
- They were talking and laughing together.
- Tomorrow you'll be able to laugh about this.
- Trent almost laughed with relief.
- Vivian started laughing hysterically.
- We were laughing over some joke Bentley had told.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- aloud
- loudly
- out loud
- …
- have to
- want to
- begin to
- …
- about
- at
- in
- …
- burst out laughing
- bust out laughing
- can’t help laughing
- …
- [intransitive] be laughing(informal) used to say that you are in a very good position, especially because you have done something successfully
- If we win the next game we'll be laughing.
Word OriginOld English hlæhhan, hliehhan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German lachen, also to laughter.
Idioms
See laugh in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee laugh in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishdie laughing
- to find something extremely funny
- I nearly died laughing when she said that.
don’t make me laugh
- (informal) used to show that you think what somebody has just said is impossible or stupid
- ‘Will your dad lend you the money?’ ‘Don't make me laugh!’
he who laughs last laughs longest
- (saying) used to tell somebody not to be too proud of their present success; in the end another person may be more successfulTopics Successc2
kill yourself laughing
- (British English) to laugh a lot
- He was killing himself laughing.
laugh all the way to the bank
- (informal) to make a lot of money easily and feel very pleased about it
laugh your head off
- (informal) to laugh very loudly and for a long time
laugh in somebody’s face
- to show in a very obvious way that you have no respect for somebody
laugh like a drain
- (British English, informal) to laugh very loudly
laugh on the other side of your face
- (British English, informal) to be forced to change from feeling pleased or satisfied to feeling disappointed or annoyed
- He’ll be laughing on the other side of his face when he reads my letter.
laugh somebody/something out of court
- (British English, informal) to completely reject an idea, a story, etc. that you think is not worth taking seriously at all
- All his attempts at explanation were simply laughed out of court.
laugh till/until you cry
- to laugh so long and hard that there are tears in your eyes
laugh up your sleeve (at somebody/something)
- (informal) to secretly think that something is funny
not know whether to laugh or cry
- (informal) to be unable to decide how to react to a bad situation
piss yourself (laughing)
- (offensive, slang) to laugh very hard
split your sides (laughing/with laughter)
- to laugh a lot at somebody/something
you have/you’ve got to laugh
- (informal) used to say that you think there is a funny side to a situation
- Well, I'm sorry you've lost your shoes, but you've got to laugh, haven't you?
Check pronunciation:
laugh