laugh
English
Etymology
From Middle English laughen, laghen, from (Anglian) Old English hlæhhan, hlehhan, (West Saxon) hliehhan, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *klók-ye.
Germanic: (with j-present) Scots lauch, Icelandic hlæja, Norwegian and Danish le; (without) Low German lachen, Dutch lachen, German lachen.
Indo-European: Russian клокота́ть (klokotátʹ), клохта́ть (kloxtátʹ) ‘to cluck, cackle’, Ancient Greek κλώζω (klṓzō), κλώσσω (klṓssō) ‘to cackle, clack’, Welsh cloch ‘bell’, possibly Latin glōcīre ‘to cluck’.
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /laːf/
- (UK) IPA(key): /lɑːf/
- (US) enPR: lăf, IPA(key): /læf/
Audio (US) (file)
- Rhymes: -ɑːf
- Rhymes: -æf
Noun
laugh (plural laughs)
- An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter.
- 1803, Oliver Goldsmith, The Poetical Works of Oliver Goldsmith, M.B.: With an Account of His Life, page 45:
- And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.
- 1869, F. W. Robertson, Lectures and Addresses on Literary and Social Topics, page 87:
- That man is a bad man who has not within him the power of a hearty laugh.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:laugh.
- 1803, Oliver Goldsmith, The Poetical Works of Oliver Goldsmith, M.B.: With an Account of His Life, page 45:
- Something that provokes mirth or scorn.
- 1921, Ring Lardner, The Big Town: How I and the Mrs. Go to New York to See Life and Get Katie a Husband, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, page 73:
- “And this rug,” he says, stomping on an old rag carpet. “How much do you suppose that cost?” ¶ It was my first guess, so I said fifty dollars. ¶ “That’s a laugh,” he said. “I paid two thousand for that rug.”
- 1979, Monty Python, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
- Life's a piece of shit / When you look at it / Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:laugh.
- 1921, Ring Lardner, The Big Town: How I and the Mrs. Go to New York to See Life and Get Katie a Husband, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, page 73:
- (Britain, New Zealand) A fun person.
- 2010, The Times, March 14, 2010, Tamzin Outhwaite, the unlikely musical star
- Outhwaite is a good laugh, yes, she knows how to smile: but deep down, she really is strong and stern.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:laugh.
- 2010, The Times, March 14, 2010, Tamzin Outhwaite, the unlikely musical star
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
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Verb
laugh (third-person singular simple present laughs, present participle laughing, simple past and past participle laughed)
- (intransitive) To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter.
- c. 1602, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, act I, scene ii:
- But there was such laughing! Queen Hecuba laugh'd that her eyes ran o'er.
- 1899, Stephen Crane, Twelve O'Clock
- The roars of laughter which greeted his proclamation were of two qualities; some men laughing because they knew all about cuckoo-clocks, and other men laughing because they had concluded that the eccentric Jake had been victimised by some wise child of civilisation.
- 1979, Monty Python, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
- If life seems jolly rotten / There's something you've forgotten / And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:laugh.
- c. 1602, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, act I, scene ii:
- (intransitive, obsolete, figuratively) To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.
- 1693, John Dryden, "Of the Pythagorean Philosophy", from the 15th book of Ovid's Metamorphoses
- Then laughs the childish year, with flowerets crowned […]
- 1734, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man, Chapter 3
- In Folly’s cup ſtill laughs the bubble Joy.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:laugh.
- 1693, John Dryden, "Of the Pythagorean Philosophy", from the 15th book of Ovid's Metamorphoses
- (intransitive, followed by "at") To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock.
- 1731-1735, Alexander Pope, Moral Essays
- No wit to flatter left of all his store, No fool to laugh at, which he valu'd more.
- 1890, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 3
- There was something about him, Harry, that amused me. He was such a monster. You will laugh at me, I know, but I really went in and paid a whole guinea for the stage-box. To the present day I can't make out why I did so; and yet if I hadn't! – my dear Harry, if I hadn't, I would have missed the greatest romance of my life. I see you are laughing. It is horrid of you!"
- 1967, The Beatles, Penny Lane
- On the corner is a banker with a motorcar / The little children laugh at him behind his back
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:laugh.
- 1731-1735, Alexander Pope, Moral Essays
- (transitive) To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.
- 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, act II, scene i:
- Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy?
- 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, act II, scene ii:
- I shall laugh myself to death.
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:laugh.
- 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, act II, scene i:
- (transitive) To express by, or utter with, laughter.
- 1602, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, act I, scene iii:
- From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause.
- 1866, Louisa May Alcott, Behind A Mask or, A Woman's Power; Chapter 8
- Fairfax addressed her as "my lady," she laughed her musical laugh, and glanced up at a picture of Gerald with eyes full of exultation.
- 1906, Jack London, Moon-Face
- "You refuse to take me seriously," Lute said, when she had laughed her appreciation. "How can I take that Planchette rigmarole seriously?"
- For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:laugh.
- 1602, William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, act I, scene iii:
Usage notes
The simple past tense forms laught, laugh'd and low and the past participles laught, laugh'd and laughen also exist, but are obsolete.
Synonyms
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
- belaugh
- belly-laugh
- burst out laughing
- don't make me laugh
- he who laughs last laughs best
- he who laughs last laughs longest
- laughable
- laugh all the way to the bank
- laugh at
- laugh away
- laugh down
- laugh with
- laugher
- laughing
- laughingly
- laugh in someone's face
- laugh in the sleeve
- laugh like a drain
- laugh like a hyena
- laugh off
- laugh one out of
- laugh one's head off
- laugh on the other side of one's face
- laugh out loud, LOL
- laugh out of the other corner of the mouth, laugh out of the other side of the mouth
- laugh to scorn
- laugh track
- laugh up one’s sleeve
- LOL (laughing out loud)
- outlaugh
- ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing)
- unlaugh
- you're having a laugh
- you've got to laugh
Translations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
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Note: the following were in a translation table for "be or appear gay", which, given the modern meanings, is misleading; the title of this table has now been changed to "be or appear cheerful". The translations therefore need to be checked.
- Slovene: (please verify) nasmejan (biti)