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Definition of laugh verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

  

laugh

 verb
verb
NAmE//læf//
 
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they laugh
 
he / she / it laughs
 
past simple laughed
 
-ing form laughing
 
 
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  • to make the sounds and movements of your face that show you are happy or think something is funny to laugh loudly/aloud/out loud laugh (at/about something) You never laugh at my jokes! The show was hilarious—I couldn't stop laughing. 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. + speech “You're crazy!” she laughed.
    • Vocabulary Buildingdifferent ways of laughing
    • cackle to laugh in a loud unpleasant way, especially in a high voice
    • chuckle to laugh quietly, especially because you are thinking about something funny
    • giggle to laugh in a silly way because you are amused, embarrassed, or nervous
    • guffaw to laugh noisily
    • roar to laugh very loudly
    • snicker/snigger to laugh in a quiet unpleasant way, especially at something rude or at someone’s problems or mistakes
    • titter to laugh quietly, especially in a nervous or embarrassed way
    • You can also be convulsed with laughter or dissolve into laughter when you find something very funny. People might also shriek with laughter or howl with laughter.
    Idioms
    die laughing
     
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    to find something extremely funny I almost died laughing when she said that.
    don't make me laugh (informal)
     
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    used to show that you think what someone has just said is impossible or stupid “Will your dad lend you the money?” “Don't make me laugh!”
    he who laughs last laughs best/longest (saying)
     
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    used to tell someone not to be too proud of their present success; in the end another person may be more successful
    laugh all the way to the bank (informal)
     
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    to make a lot of money easily and feel very pleased about it
    laugh your head off
     
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    to laugh very loudly and for a long time
    laugh in somebody's face
     
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    to show in a very obvious way that you have no respect for someone
    laugh somebody/something out of town (informal)
     
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    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 town.
    laugh until you cry
     
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    to laugh so long and hard that there are tears in your eyes
    laugh up your sleeve (at somebody/something) (informal)
     
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    to be secretly amused about something
    not know whether to laugh or cry (informal)
     
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    to be unable to decide how to react to a bad or unfortunate situation
    you have/you've got to laugh (informal)
     
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    used to say that you think there is a funny side to a situation Well, I'm sorry you lost your shoes, but you have to laugh, don't you?     Phrasal Verbslaugh atlaugh off
    See laugh in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
    Check pronunciation: laugh

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