as in merry
indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor the satisfying comedy put us in a laughing mood for the rest of the evening
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in giggling
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound everyone laughed when the clown dramatically slipped and fell
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sneering
to express scornful amusement by means of facial contortions you're going to try out for the football team? Don't make me laugh!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of laughing
Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026 There was none of the usual laughing and joking. —Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026 The laughing becomes infectious. —Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026 Belt It Out at Sweet Caroline Karaoke Bar If your idea of a great date involves a little chaos, a lot of laughing, and maybe a surprisingly decent duet, Sweet Caroline Karaoke Bar is calling your name. —Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026 The former competitive cheerleader said the laughing was an act of misogyny. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026 Harbour and Brown arrived together on the red carpet for the premiere of the latest season and were captured on camera laughing, hugging each other and posing for photos. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025 The laughing and stuff wasn’t written into it. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025 One of the photos showed Berry laughing and vacation alongside her current romantic partner, musician Van Hunt. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026 The old Twin Towers laughing as the crowd erupted was the perfect moment to capture the beginning of a new Spurs era. —Christian Clark, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026 The work, collected by Yves Saint Laurent and Paul Bergé before drawing the interest of Karl Lagerfeld, Peter Marino, and Tom Ford, offers a fantasy of les enfants laughing while perched on one of Lalanne’s woolly sheep in a sprawling Parisian apartment, Right Bank parents with Left Bank kids. —David Lê, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2026 View gallery - 6 images The era of us laughing at humanoids playing sport may now be behind us – for the most part – as a field of robots competing in a half marathon in Beijing demonstrated how frighteningly fast the technology has developed in just 12 months. —New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026 Bieber seemed to be delighting in the moment as well, laughing along with Eilish throughout the song. —Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2026 The best part of creating projects was pushing each other to work harder, laughing in between takes and spending hours editing together. —Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026 One of Berkus's favorite photos in his home is a shot of his mom laughing hysterically with his young daughter. —Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2026 Her mother, Lianna Charles Moore, previously described her daughters as always laughing, smiling and brightening her family's day. —Christina Fan, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
Keith moved into the center of the balcony, posing and laughing. —Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026 There was none of the usual laughing and joking. —Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026 The laughing becomes infectious. —Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026 Belt It Out at Sweet Caroline Karaoke Bar If your idea of a great date involves a little chaos, a lot of laughing, and maybe a surprisingly decent duet, Sweet Caroline Karaoke Bar is calling your name. —Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026 The former competitive cheerleader said the laughing was an act of misogyny. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026 Harbour and Brown arrived together on the red carpet for the premiere of the latest season and were captured on camera laughing, hugging each other and posing for photos. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025 The laughing and stuff wasn’t written into it. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025 One of the photos showed Berry laughing and vacation alongside her current romantic partner, musician Van Hunt. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
Afterward, thousands of giddy fans thronged the malecón, Havana’s seaside promenade, laughing and drinking rum. —Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026 The old Twin Towers laughing as the crowd erupted was the perfect moment to capture the beginning of a new Spurs era. —Christian Clark, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026 The work, collected by Yves Saint Laurent and Paul Bergé before drawing the interest of Karl Lagerfeld, Peter Marino, and Tom Ford, offers a fantasy of les enfants laughing while perched on one of Lalanne’s woolly sheep in a sprawling Parisian apartment, Right Bank parents with Left Bank kids. —David Lê, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2026 View gallery - 6 images The era of us laughing at humanoids playing sport may now be behind us – for the most part – as a field of robots competing in a half marathon in Beijing demonstrated how frighteningly fast the technology has developed in just 12 months. —New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026 Bieber seemed to be delighting in the moment as well, laughing along with Eilish throughout the song. —Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2026 The best part of creating projects was pushing each other to work harder, laughing in between takes and spending hours editing together. —Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026 One of Berkus's favorite photos in his home is a shot of his mom laughing hysterically with his young daughter. —Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2026 Her mother, Lianna Charles Moore, previously described her daughters as always laughing, smiling and brightening her family's day. —Christina Fan, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughing
Adjective
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Using Too Many Small Bins The more bins, the merrier?— Sarah Lyon, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026
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Mau's reckless band of merry men inevitably leave a trail of bodies in their wake, leading police captain Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura) to investigate the criminal takeover of Janix.— Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There was a lot of nervous smiling.— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
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Umanmielen responded with a GIF of a smiling, but famously blind, Stevie Wonder.— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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A couple giggling teens popped on and off that scale recently, pleased, apparently, by the reading.— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
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On the two days that THR spent on set last summer, the young cast could regularly be heard giggling in between takes.— Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In character as a free spirit who scorns social convention, Davis is all haughty tosses of the head and sneering lines.— Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
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Chalamet, whose grandmother, mother, and sister all performed with the New York City Ballet, is not sneering at the artists.— Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Of course, even for me there were still some jolly moments.— Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
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Vivacious Mars dances with jolly Jupiter, energizing your 6th House of Practice and your 10th House of Ambition.— Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To be fair, Dylan is also engaging in some territorial behaviors, like chuckling about Greg’s affinity for nuts and lightly putting a hand on his arm, so keep an eye on that space.— Erin Qualey, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
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In early February, Raphael Bostic sat on a stage chuckling, and a bit embarrassed, while his predecessor handed him a pair of gifts.— Mirtha Donastorg, AJC.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Book your trip during the festive season far in advance, as hotel rooms and villas can book out up to a year in advance.— Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
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Held every June, this tradition celebrates the year’s harvest with a festive parade, classic car displays, live music, and what feels like endless fresh-cut watermelon.— Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On the Sonora stage Sunday, the 22-year-old Newark rapper-producer who arrived at the current screaming catharsis via a circuit of molting SoundCloud-era microgenres was at once dangerously commanding and euphoric while tearing through highlights from last year’s Revengeseekerz.— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
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The pressures of fame and the pains of Michael’s brand of friendlessness are barely explored, beyond the requisite scenes of screaming fans crowding outside the family estate and a terrified Michael attempting to get away from them (while still politely waving).— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laughing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/laughing. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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