laughing

laughing — verb

IPA/lɑːf/
KK[lˈæfɪŋ]IPA/læf/
  • laughingpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • laughings3rd person singular
  • laughinging-ing form
  • laughingedpast simple

1. to produce short, repeating sounds through your open mouth when something strike

1.verbintransitiveA2
Definition

to produce short, repeating sounds through your open mouth when something strikes you as entertaining or when you are pleased

Example

Ziad laughed so hard at the joke that he nearly fell off his chair.

laugh + at + [source of amusement]

The children were laughing as they chased each other around the garden.

laugh + as/while + [activity]

Common collocations
  • laugh at
  • laugh about
  • laugh with
  • laugh out loud
  • burst out laughing
  • make someone laugh
Synonyms
  • chuckle

    a quieter, softer laugh, often to oneself

  • giggle

    a high-pitched, repeated laugh, often from children or nervousness

  • guffaw

    a very loud and hearty laugh, more forceful than laugh

Antonyms
  • cry

    the opposite emotional response, showing sadness instead of amusement

  • sob

    weep noisily, opposite to the happy sound of laughter

Grammar Patterns

laugh + at/about/with

Usage Note

Frequently used with a prepositional phrase introduced by at, about, or with to show the cause or target of the laughter.

Common Mistakes

She laughed him when he told the story.
She laughed at him when he told the story.
laugh is intransitive and requires a preposition (usually at) before the object.
He was laughing of the funny video.
He was laughing at the funny video.
Use at, not of, to indicate the thing that causes laughter.

laughing — adjective

IPA/ˈlɑːfɪŋ/
KK[lˈæfɪŋ]IPA/ˈlæfɪŋ/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Chuckle, giggle, and snicker are all types of laughter, but they differ in sound and social context. Chuckle is a quiet, soft laugh, often done alone when reading something amusing or remembering a private joke — it suggests mild, comfortable enjoyment. Giggle is a high-pitched, repeated sound, typical of young children or teenagers, and can happen in situations of nervousness or embarrassment as well as genuine fun. Snicker carries a more negative tone: it is a half-suppressed, mocking laugh, often directed at someone else's mistake or misfortune. For example: 'The old man chuckled to himself as he read the comic strip.' 'The schoolgirls giggled nervously during the assembly.' 'When the teacher tripped, a few students snickered from the back row.'

chuckle ↗giggle ↗snicker ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • burst out laughing
  • can't stop laughing
  • make someone laugh
  • die with laughter

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word laugh comes from Old English hlihhan, which traces back through Proto-Germanic to an ancient root that imitated the sound of laughter itself. The -ing form (laughing) developed in Middle English as the present participle of the verb, and later also began to be used as an adjective describing a person's expression.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a Noun