Definition Of Laugh Verb From The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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Definition of laugh verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

laugh verb   /lɑːf/  /læf/Verb Forms

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/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs jump to other results

1.   [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
   You can also dissolve into laughter when you find something very funny. In British English people also shriek with laughter or howl with laughter.Extra Examples
   • 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.
   Topics Feelingsa1Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
   • aloud
   • loudly
   • out loud
   • …
   verb + laugh
   • have to
   • want to
   • begin to
   • …
   preposition
   • about
   • at
   • in
   • …
   phrases
   • burst out laughing
   • bust out laughing
   • can’t help laughing
   • …
   See full entry
2. [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.
   Topics Successc2
Word OriginOld English hlæhhan, hliehhan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German lachen, also to laughter.

Idioms die laughing

1. to find something extremely funny
   • I nearly died laughing when she said that.

don’t make me laugh

1. (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

1. (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

1. (British English) to laugh a lot
   • He was killing himself laughing.

laugh all the way to the bank

1. (informal) to make a lot of money easily and feel very pleased about it

laugh your head off

1. (informal) to laugh very loudly and for a long time

laugh in somebody’s face

1. to show in a very obvious way that you have no respect for somebody

laugh like a drain

1. (British English, informal) to laugh very loudly

laugh on the other side of your face

1. (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

1. (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

1. to laugh so long and hard that there are tears in your eyes

laugh up your sleeve (at somebody/something)

1. (informal) to secretly think that something is funny

not know whether to laugh or cry

1. (informal) to be unable to decide how to react to a bad situation

piss yourself (laughing)

1. (offensive, slang) to laugh very hard

split your sides (laughing/with laughter)

1. to laugh a lot at somebody/something

you have/you’ve got to laugh

1. (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?

Phrasal Verbs

• laugh at
• laugh off

See laugh in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee laugh in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation: laugh

Other results

All matches

• laugh noun
• laugh at
• laugh off
• belly laugh noun
• laugh track noun
• laugh-out-loud adjective
• Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
• a laugh
• Laugh-In
• laugh tracks
• laugh something off
• laugh at somebody/something
• laugh like a drain
• laugh your head off
• have the last laugh
• laugh in somebody’s face
• laugh till/until you cry
• laugh all the way to the bank
• laugh somebody/something out of court
• not know whether to laugh or cry

See more Phrasal verbs

• laugh something off
• laugh at somebody/something

Idioms

• laugh like a drain
• laugh your head off
• have the last laugh
• laugh in somebody’s face
• laugh till/until you cry
• laugh all the way to the bank
• laugh somebody/something out of court
• not know whether to laugh or cry
• laugh, scream, etc. your head off
• laugh on the other side of your face
• do something for a laugh/for laughs
• drink, laugh, shout, etc. yourself silly
• have a (good) laugh (about/over something)

See more

Nearby words

• Estée Lauder
• Harry Lauder
• laugh verb
• laugh noun
• laughable adjective

accordingly adverb From the Word list Oxford 5000 C1 Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day