laugh

 
Pronunciation: /lɑːf/

verb

[no object]
  • make the spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement and sometimes also of derision: he rarely smiled or laughed she couldn’t help laughing at his jokes we fell about laughing
  • (laugh at) treat with ridicule or scorn: many people only laughed at these stories
  • (laugh something off) dismiss something by treating it in a light-hearted way: he laughed off suggestions that the company was in trouble
  • (be laughing) informal be in a fortunate or successful position: if next year’s model is as successful, Ford will be laughing

noun

  • 1an act of laughing: she gave a loud, silly laugh
  • 2 (a laugh) informal something that causes laughter; a source of fun, amusement, or derision: come along, it’ll be a laugh she decided to play along with him for a laugh that’s a laugh, the idea of you cooking a meal!
  • a person who is good fun or amusing company: I like Peter—he’s a good laugh

Phrases

be laughing all the way to the bank

informal be making a great deal of money very easily: investors in South Wales Electricity were laughing all the way to the bank

have the last laugh

be finally vindicated, thus confounding earlier scepticism: the success of his novel meant he had the last laugh on the Irish literati

he who laughs last laughs longest

proverb don’t rejoice too soon, in case your delight at your own good fortune is premature.

laugh one's head off

laugh heartily or uncontrollably: the audience laughed its head off all the way through the show

laugh in someone's face

show open contempt for someone by laughing rudely at them in their presence: I remonstrated with him but he just laughed in my face figurative vandals and muggers who laugh in the face of the law

the laugh is on me (or you, him, etc.)

the tables are turned and now the other person is the one who appears ridiculous: all the critics had laughed at him—well, the laugh was on them now

laugh like a drain

British informal laugh raucously: when I told her I fancied her, she laughed like a drain

a laugh a minute

very funny: it’s a laugh a minute when Lois gets together with her dad

laugh on the other side of one's face (or North American out of the other side of one's mouth)

be discomfited after feeling satisfaction or confidence about something.

laugh someone/thing out of court

British dismiss with contempt as being obviously ridiculous: an application for a course in ‘paintball combat’ was laughed out of court

laugh oneself silly (or sick)

laugh uncontrollably or for a long time: the audience was laughing themselves silly

laugh something to scorn

dated ridicule something: she laughed their gossip to scorn

laugh up one's sleeve

be secretly or inwardly amused: he must have been laughing up at his sleeve all the time I was interviewing him

no laughing matter

something serious that should not be joked about: heavy snoring is no laughing matter

play something for laughs

(of a performer) try to arouse laughter in an audience, especially in inappropriate circumstances: he played everything for laughs, especially if there were girls around

Origin:

Old English hlæhhan, hliehhan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German lachen, also to laughter

Spelling help

Spell laugh with -augh after the l.