From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlaughlaugh1 /lɑːf $ læf/ ●●● S2 W2 verb 1 [intransitive]LAUGH to make sounds with your voice, usually while you are smiling, because you think something is funny Maria looked at him and laughed.laugh at/about ‘I didn’t know what I was doing, ’ she said, laughing at the memory. Tony was laughing so hard he had to steady himself on the table. Nora laughed so much that she nearly cried.laugh heartily/uproariously/hysterically etc (=laugh a lot) The kids tumbled around on the floor, laughing hysterically. He couldn’t help it; he burst out laughing (=suddenly started laughing).laugh your head off He’s one of the few writers who can make me laugh out loud.2 [transitive]SAY/STATE to say something in a voice that shows you are amused ‘You look ridiculous!’ Nick laughed.3 → not know whether to laugh or cry4 → don’t make me laugh5 → no laughing matter6 → be laughed out of court7 → you have to laugh8 → be laughing all the way to the bank9 → somebody will be laughing on the other side of their face10 → be laughing11 → laugh in somebody’s face12 → laugh up your sleeveCOLLOCATIONSverbsburst out laughing (=suddenly start laughing)She looked at him and burst out laughing.make somebody laughI like Ron, he makes me laugh.begin/start to laughHe suddenly began to laugh.want to laugh (=to feel like laughing, even though it might be more polite not to)He was so earnest that I wanted to laugh.try not to laugh (=to not laugh, even though something is funny, because it would not be polite)‘Are you all right?’ Amy said, trying not to laugh.fall about laughing British English (=laugh a lot)He saw the look on my face and he just fell about laughing.adverbslaugh hysterically (=laugh so much that you cannot stop, because you find something extremely funny)The people at the next table were laughing hysterically at us.laugh heartily especially written (=laugh a lot)Misha laughed heartily throughout the play.laugh out loud/aloud (=laugh so that other people can hear you)Some parts of the book were so funny that they made me laugh out loud.phraseslaugh your head off (=laugh a lot)The audience laughed its head off all the way through.laugh till you cry/laugh till the tears run down your faceHe leaned back in his chair and laughed till the tears ran down his face. THESAURUSlaugh to make sounds with your voice and move your face, because you think that something is funnyHe looked so funny that we couldn’t stop laughing.giggle to laugh quickly in a high voice, especially in a slightly silly way, or because you are nervous or embarrassedA group of teenage girls were giggling in a corner.She tends to giggle when she meets new people.chuckle to laugh quietly, especially because you are thinking about or reading something funnyHe was chuckling to himself over an article in the paper.‘We used to get up to all kinds of mischief.’ She chuckled at the memory.snigger British English, snicker American English to laugh quietly in an unkind or unpleasant way, for example when someone is hurt or embarrassedBilly stood up and started to sing, and one or two people sniggered.titter to laugh quietly in a high voice, especially about something that is rude or about sex, or is embarrassing for someoneAs a nation we love to titter over politicians’ sex scandals.schoolboys tittering over a magazineroar with laughter to laugh very loudly, especially with a deep voiceI could hear my father roaring with laughter at something on TV.shriek with laughter to laugh very loudly, especially with a high voicePatsy chased him down the stairs, shrieking with laughter.howl with laughter to laugh very loudly – used especially about a group of people laughing togetherHis plays have made audiences howl with laughter.in stitches laughing so much that you cannot stopIt was such a funny film – it had us all in stitches.guffaw /ɡəˈfɔː $ -ˈfɒː/ to laugh very loudly and without trying to stop yourselfThe audience guffawed at his nonstop jokes.cackle to laugh loudly in an unpleasant wayThe old woman cackled at the trouble she was causing. → laugh at somebody/something → laugh something ↔ off→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
laugh• "It won't even be cold when we get there, " Sabina laughed.• Mrs Meiers blamed me because I laughed.• I thought Dad would be angry, but he just laughed.• We just looked at each other and burst out laughing.• I couldn't understand what they were all laughing about.• I laughed all the way through the film.• Looking down, she saw him beside a bush, only half concealed, laughing at her face.• No-one laughed at his jokes.• Humans can be reduced to tears by tickling, but most of the time we laugh because of auditory cues.• Frankly, we don't know whether to laugh or cry.• We were laughing so hard we couldn't stop.laugh at/about• Why should Willi always make himself look so ludicrous so that people laughed at him?• You can laugh at his sideburns.• He can laugh about his strange circumstances and at himself.• When Gyggle first explained this experiment to me I almost laughed at how facile it was.• But most of all, children laugh at jokes that are a play on words.• She is laughing at our ignorance.• I can laugh about Santana, but he embarrassed me and it cost me.• Everybody laughed at the joke.• You get him and the class laughing at you.laughlaugh2 ●●● S3 noun 1 LAUGH[countable] the act of laughing or the sound you make when you laugh He gave a short laugh.with a laugh ‘What a mess!’ she said, with a laugh.2 [countable] if something is a laugh, you have fun and enjoy yourself when you are doing it We all went to the beach last night – it was a really good laugh. The other campers were nice, and we had a great laugh together. It was a great holiday with lots of laughs.3 → somebody is a (good) laugh4 → for laughs5 → that’s a laugh6 → have the last laugh7 → be a laugh a minuteCOLLOCATIONSverbsgive/let out a laughShe gave a loud laugh.get a laugh (also draw a laugh British English written) (=be laughed at)Most of his jokes didn’t even get a laugh.get a laugh out of somebody (=make someone laugh)I always managed to get a laugh out of my audience.have a laugh about/at/over something (=laugh about something)The farmer had a good laugh at our attempts to catch the horse.I could use a laugh (=I want to hear something funny to cheer me up)Tell me what she said - I could use a laugh.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + laugha good laughWe all got a good laugh out of it later.a big laughThere was a big laugh from the crowd.a short/little/small laughHe let out a nervous little laugh.a loud/soft laughHe let out a loud laugh when he heard what had happened.a belly laugh (=a deep loud laugh)It’s the kind of comedy that raises a smile rather than a belly laugh.a hearty laugh (=a loud laugh that shows you really enjoyed something)With a hearty laugh, he began to tell the story.a nervous laugh‘Don’t be silly, ’ she said with a nervous laugh. Examples from the Corpus
laugh• "She says she'll be here early to help." "That's a laugh."• She gave a little nervous laugh and glanced towards Robyn.with a laugh• And yet that part of the interview could have been dismissed with a laugh in five seconds.• "I guess I'm a comedian at heart, " she said with a laugh.lots of laughs• In the beginning we had lots of laughs and kept falling off because of the balance.Origin laugh1 Old English hliehhan 