laugh

English Online Dictionary. What means laugh‎? What does laugh mean?

English

Alternative forms

• laff (eye dialect)
• laughe (archaic)
• larf (Cockney eye dialect)

Etymology

From Middle English laughen, laghen, from (Anglian) Old English hlæhhan, hlehhan, (West Saxon) hliehhan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną.

Pronunciation

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /laːf/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /lɑːf/
• (Northern England, Scotland) IPA^(key): /laf/
• (General American) enPR: lăf, IPA^(key): /læf/
• Rhymes: -ɑːf, -æf

Noun

laugh (plural laughs)

1. An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter.

2. Something that provokes mirth or scorn.

3. (British, 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.

Synonyms

• (expression of mirth): cackle, chortle, chuckle, giggle, guffaw, snicker, snigger, titter, cachinnation
• (something that provokes mirth or scorn): joke, laughing stock

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

laugh (third-person singular simple present laughs, present participle laughing, simple past and past participle laughed)

1. (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.
2. (intransitive, figuratively, obsolete) To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.
3. (intransitive, followed by "at") To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock.
4. (transitive) To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.
5. (transitive) To express by, or utter with, laughter.

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.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (show mirth by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face): cackle, chortle, chuckle, giggle, guffaw, snicker, snigger, titter
• See also Thesaurus:laugh

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “show mirth by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face”): cry, weep

Coordinate terms

• (show mirth by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face): cry, frown, scowl, smile

Derived terms

Related terms

• laughster
• laughter

Translations

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)

See also

• comedy
• gelotology
• funny
• ha ha
• tee hee, tee hee hee

Anagrams

• Aghul

Middle English

Noun

laugh

1. Alternative form of lawe