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Laugh

[laf, lahf]

Origin

verb (used without object)

to express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements.

to experience the emotion so expressed: He laughed inwardly at the scene.

to produce a sound resembling human laughter: A coyote laughed in the dark.

verb (used with object)

to drive, put, bring, etc., by or with laughter (often followed by out, away, down, etc.): They laughed him out of town. We laughed away our troubles.

to utter with laughter: He laughed his consent.

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Laugh is one of our favorite verbs.

So is skedaddle. Does it mean:

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

to run away hurriedly; flee.

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noun

the act or sound of laughing; laughter.

an expression of mirth, derision, etc., by laughing.

Informal. something that provokes laughter, amusement, or ridicule: After all the advance publicity, the prizefight turned out to be a laugh.

laughs, Informal. fun; amusement.

Verb phrases

10.

laugh at,

to make fun of; deride; ridicule: They were laughing at him, not along with him.

to be scornful of; reject: They stopped laughing at the unusual theory when it was found to be predictive.

to find sympathetic amusement in; regard with humor: We can learn to laugh a little at even our most serious foibles.

11.

laugh off, to dismiss as ridiculous, trivial, or hollow: He had received threats but laughed them off as the work of a crank.

Idioms

12.

have the last laugh, to prove ultimately successful after a seeming defeat or loss: She smiled slyly, because she knew she would yet have the last laugh on them.

13.

laugh out of court, to dismiss or depreciate by means of ridicule; totally scorn: His violent protests were laughed out of court by the others.

14.

laugh out of the other side of one's mouth, to undergo a chastening reversal, as of glee or satisfaction that is premature; be ultimately chagrined, punished, etc.; cry: She's proud of her promotion, but she'll laugh out of the other side of her mouth when the work piles up. Also, laugh on the wrong side of one's mouth/face.

15.

laugh up one's sleeve. sleeve (def. 6).

Origin:
before 900; Middle English laughen, Old English hlæh(h)an (Anglian); cognate with Dutch, German lachen, Old Norse hlǣja, Gothic hlahjan

Related forms

out·laugh, verb (used with object)

Synonyms
1. chortle, cackle, cachinnate, guffaw, roar; giggle, snicker, snigger, titter. 6. Laugh, chuckle, grin, smile refer to methods of expressing mirth, appreciation of humor, etc. A laugh may be a sudden, voiceless exhalation, but is usually an audible sound, either soft or loud: a hearty laugh. Chuckle suggests a barely audible series of sounds expressing private amusement or satisfaction: a delighted chuckle. A smile is a (usually pleasant) lighting up of the face and an upward curving of the corners of the lips (which may or may not be open); it may express amusement or mere recognition, friendliness, etc.: a courteous smile. A grin, in which the teeth are usually visible, is like an exaggerated smile, less controlled in expressing the feelings: a friendly grin.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Laugh

Collins

World English Dictionary

laugh (lɑːf)

—vb (foll by at) (foll by over)
1.	(intr) to express or manifest emotion, esp mirth or amusement, typically by expelling air from the lungs in short bursts to produce an inarticulate voiced noise, with the mouth open
2.	(intr) (esp of certain mammals or birds) to make a noise resembling a laugh
3.	(tr) to utter or express with laughter: he laughed his derision at the play
4.	(tr) to bring or force (someone, esp oneself) into a certain condition by laughter: he laughed himself sick
5.	to make fun (of); jeer (at)
6.	to read or discuss something with laughter
7.	informal don't make me laugh I don't believe you for a moment
8.	informal laugh all the way to the bank to be unashamedly pleased at making a lot of money
9.	laugh in a person's face to show open contempt or defiance towards a person
10.	informal laugh like a drain to laugh loudly and coarsely
11.	laugh up one's sleeve to laugh or have grounds for amusement, self-satisfaction, etc, secretly
12.	laugh on the other side of one's face to show sudden disappointment or shame after appearing cheerful or confident
13.	informal be laughing to be in a favourable situation

—n
14.	the act or an instance of laughing
15.	a manner of laughter
16.	informal a person or thing that causes laughter: that holiday was a laugh
17.	the last laugh the final success in an argument, situation, etc, after previous defeat

[Old English læhan, hliehhen; related to Gothic hlahjan, Dutch lachen]

'laugher

—n

'laughing

—n, —*adj*

'laughingly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

laugh

O.E. (Anglian) hlæhhan, earlier hlihhan, from P.Gmc. *klakhjanan (cf. O.N. hlæja, Ger. lachen, Goth. hlahjan), from PIE *klak-, of imitative origin (cf. L. cachinare "to laugh aloud," Skt. kakhati "laughs," O.C.S. chochotati "laugh," Gk. kakhazein).

EXPAND

"If I coveted nowe to avenge the injuries that you have done me, I myght laughe in my slyve." [John Daus, "Sleidanes Commentaries," 1560]

The noun is first attested 1680s, from the verb. Meaning "a cause of laughter" is from 1895; ironic use (e.g. that's a laugh) attested from 1930. Nitrous oxide has been called laughing gas since 1842 (for its exhilarating effects). Laugh track "canned laughter on a TV program" is from 1966.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

laugh

In addition to the idioms beginning with laugh, also see canned laughter; die laughing; it's to laugh; last laugh; no joke (laughing matter); shake with laughter.