laugh

laugh
I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hliehhan; akin to Old High German lachēn to laugh Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to show emotion (as mirth, joy, or scorn) with a chuckle or explosive vocal sound b. to find amusement or pleasure in something <
laughed at his own clumsiness
>
c. to become amused or derisive <
a very skeptical public laughed at our early efforts — Graenum Berger
>
2. a. to produce the sound or appearance of laughter <
a laughing brook
>
b. to be of a kind that inspires joy transitive verb 1. to influence or move by laughter <
laughed the bad singer off the stage
>
2. to utter with a laugh • laughingly adverb II. noun Date: 1690 1. the act of laughing 2. a. a cause for derision or merriment ; joke b. an expression of scorn or mockery ; jeer 3. plural diversion, sport <
play baseball just for laughs
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • laugh — [laf, läf] vi. [ME laughen < OE hleahhan, akin to Ger lachen (OHG hlahhan) < IE base * klēg , to cry out, sound > Gr klangē, L clangor] 1. to make the explosive sounds of the voice, and the characteristic movements of the features and… …   English World dictionary

  • Laugh — Laugh, v. t. 1. To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule. [1913 Webster] Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy? Shak. [1913 Webster] I shall laugh myself to death. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To express by, or utter with,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Laugh — (l[aum]f), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Laughed} (l[aum]ft); p. pr. & vb. n. {Laughing}.] [OE. laughen, laghen, lauhen, AS. hlehhan, hlihhan, hlyhhan, hliehhan; akin to OS. hlahan, D. & G. lachen, OHG. hlahhan, lahhan, lahh[=e]n, Icel. hl[ae]ja,W Dan.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • laugh — ► VERB 1) make the sounds and movements that express lively amusement and sometimes also derision. 2) (laugh at) make fun of; ridicule. 3) (laugh off) dismiss by (something) treating it light heartedly. 4) (be laughing) informal be in a fortunate …   English terms dictionary

  • laugh — laugh; laugh·able; laugh·able·ness; laugh·ably; laugh·some; laugh·ter·less; laugh·er; laugh·ter; laugh·ing·ly; …   English syllables

  • Laugh — Laugh, n. An expression of mirth peculiar to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. See {Laugh}, v. i. [1913 Webster] And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind. Goldsmith. [1913 Webster] That man is a bad man who has not… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • laugh — [v] expressing amusement, happiness with sound be in stitches*, break up*, burst*, cachinnate, chortle, chuckle, convulsed*, crack up*, crow, die laughing*, fracture*, giggle, grin, guffaw, howl, roar, roll in the aisles*, scream, shriek, snicker …   New thesaurus

  • laugh-in — «LAF IHN, LAHF », noun. Informal. a funny or merry act, entertainment, or the like: »Player conducted a laugh in on the practice ground, subduing inner feelings about the fate of his father (London Times) …   Useful english dictionary

  • laugh|y — «LAF ee, LAHF », adjective. inclined to laugh …   Useful english dictionary

  • laugh at — index disdain, disparage, flout, humiliate, jape, jeer, mock (deride), pillory …   Law dictionary

  • laugh at — (someone) to ridicule someone. A lot of kids laughed at me because of the way I dressed, but it never bothered me …   New idioms dictionary

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