Laugh

English

Etymology

From Old English hlæhhan, hlihhan, hliehhan, from Proto-Germanic *xlaxjanan (cf. West Frisian [[laitsje#Template:Fy|laitsje]], Dutch/German lachen, Danish le), from Proto-Indo-European *klak (cf. Welsh [[cloch#Template:Cy|cloch]] 'bell', Latin glōciare 'to cluck', Old Church Slavonic klekotŭ 'laughter, noise', Ancient Greek klṓssein 'to cluck').

Pronunciation

• (Australia) IPA: /lɑːf/, SAMPA: /lA:f/
• (UK) IPA: /lɑːf/, SAMPA: /lA:f/
• (US) enPR: lăf, IPA: /læf/, SAMPA: /l{f/

• Audio (US)	noicon
  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːf

Noun

Singular Laugh

Plural {{{1}}}

Laugh ({{{1}}})

Template:Examples-right

1. An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter.
   • 1803 The Poetical Works of Oliver Goldsmith, M.B.: With an Account of His Life Page 45: And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind. — Oliver Goldsmith
   • 1869 Lectures and Addresses on Literary and Social Topics Page 87: That man is a bad man who has not within him the power of a hearty laugh. — F. W. Robertson
2. Something that provokes mirth or scorn.
   • 1921, Ring W. Lardner, The Big Town: How I and the Mrs. Go to New York to See Life and Get Katie a Husband, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, page 73:

     “And this rug,” he says, stomping on an old rag carpet. “How much do you suppose that cost?”

     It was my first guess, so I said fifty dollars.

     “That’s a laugh,” he said. “I paid two thousand for that rug.”

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

• a laugh a minute
• for a laugh
• have a laugh
• have the last laugh

Translations

expression of mirth peculiar to the human species

Albanian: qeshje Armenian: ծիծաղ hy(hy) (çiçaġ) Basque: barre eu(eu) Chinese: Mandarin: 笑聲 cmn(cmn), 笑声 cmn(cmn) (xiàoshēng), 笑 cmn(cmn) (xiào) Croatian: smijȇh hr(hr) m. Danish: latter da(da) c. Dutch: lach nl(nl) m. Esperanto: rido eo(eo) Estonian: naer et(et) Finnish: nauru fi(fi) French: rire fr(fr) m. German: Lachen de(de) n. Hebrew: צחוק Template:Romanization of Hebrew m. Icelandic: hlátur is(is) Irish: gáire ga(ga) m.

Italian: riso it(it) m., risata it(it) f. Japanese: 笑い (warai) Korean: 웃음소리 ko(ko) (useum), 웃음소리 ko(ko) (useumsori) Kurdish: پێکه‌نین Latin: rīsus la(la) m. Macedonian: смеа mk(mk) (sméa) f. Malayalam: ചിരി ml(ml) (chiri), പൊട്ടിച്ചിരി ml(ml) (pottichchiri) Norwegian: latter no(no) m., lått no(no) m. Polish: śmiech pl(pl) m. Portuguese: riso pt(pt) m., risada pt(pt) f. Romanian: râs ro(ro), râset ro(ro) Russian: смех (smex) m. Slovene: smeh sl(sl) m. Spanish: risa es(es) f. Swedish: skratt sv(sv) n.

something that provokes mirth or scorn

Albanian: qeshje Danish: latter da(da) c. Dutch: lach nl(nl) m. Finnish: naurunaihe fi(fi), vitsi fi(fi)

Japanese: 笑い物 (waraimono) Latin: lūdibrium n. Russian: смех (smex) m., умора (umóra) f.

Verb

Infinitive to Laugh

Third person singular -

Simple past -

Past participle -

Present participle -

to Laugh (third-person singular simple present -, present participle -, simple past and past participle -)

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.
   • (A date for this quote is being sought): Queen Hecuba laughed that her eyes ran o’er. — Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, I-ii
   • (A date for this quote is being sought): He laugheth that winneth. — Heywood’s Prov.
2. (intransitive, figuratively) To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.
   • (A date for this quote is being sought): Then laughs the childish year, with flowerets crowned. — John Dryden
   • (A date for this quote is being sought): In Folly’s cup still laughs the bubble Joy. — Alexander Pope
3. (intransitive) To laugh at, to make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride.
   • (A date for this quote is being sought): No wit to flatter left of all his store, No fool to laugh at, which he valued more. — Alexander Pope
4. (transitive) To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.
   • (A date for this quote is being sought): Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy? — Shakespeare, Tempest, II-i
   • (A date for this quote is being sought): I shall laugh myself to death. — Shakespeare, Tempest, II-ii
5. (transitive) To express by, or utter with, laughter; — with out.
   • (A date for this quote is being sought): From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause. — Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, I-iii

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

• cry

Derived terms

• he who laughs last laughs best
• he who laughs last laughs longest
• laugh away
• laugh down
• laughing
• laugh in someone's face
• laugh in the sleeve
• laugh off
• laugh one out of
• laugh on the other side of one's face
• laugh out, laugh out loud
• laugh out of the other corner of the mouth, laugh out of the other side of the mouth
• laugh to scorn
• laugh track
• laugh up one’s sleeve

Related terms

• laughter

Translations

show mirth by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face and emission of sounds

Albanian: qesh sq(sq) Arabic: ضحك ar(ar) (DaHika) Armenian: ծիծաղել hy(hy) (çiçaġel) Basque: barre egin eu(eu) Catalan: riure ca(ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 笑 cmn(cmn) (xiào), 發笑 cmn(cmn), 发笑 cmn(cmn) (fāxiào) Czech: smát cs(cs) se Danish: le da(da), grine da(da) Dutch: lachen nl(nl) Esperanto: ridi eo(eo) Estonian: naerda Finnish: nauraa fi(fi) French: rire fr(fr) Galician: rir gl(gl) German: lachen de(de) Hungarian: nevet hu(hu) Icelandic: hlæja is(is) Interlingua: rider ia(ia) Irish: gáir ga(ga)

Italian: ridere it(it) Japanese: 笑う (warau) Korean: 웃다 ko(ko) (utda) Kurdish: پێکه‌نین Latin: rideo la(la) Macedonian: се смее mk(mk) (se smée) Malayalam: പൊട്ടിച്ചിരിക്കുക ml(ml) (pottichchirikkuka), അട്ടഹസിക്കുക ml(ml) (attahasikkuka) Norwegian: le no(no) Persian: خندیدن fa(fa) (xandidan) Polish: śmiać się pl(pl) Portuguese: rir pt(pt) Romanian: râde ro(ro) Romansch: rir rm(rm) Russian: смеяться (smeját's'a) (impf.), хохотать (xoxotát') (impf.) Scottish Gaelic: dèan gàire gd(gd) Slovene: smejati se sl(sl) Spanish: reír es(es) Tajik: хандидан tg(tg) (xandidan)

be or appear cheerful

Albanian: gazmor Czech: smát cs(cs) se Danish: smile da(da), grine da(da) Dutch: lachen nl(nl)

Finnish: iloita fi(fi), nauraa fi(fi) Icelandic: hlæja is(is) Norwegian: le no(no)

make an object of laughter or ridicule

Albanian: tall, përqesh Armenian: ծիծաղել hy(hy) (çiçaġel) Czech: posmívat cs(cs) se Danish: le ad, gøre sig lystig over da(da) Dutch: lachen nl(nl) Finnish: pilkata fi(fi), nauraa fi(fi) Icelandic: hlæja is(is) Japanese: 笑い飛ばす (warai tobasu) Latin: rīdēre la(la)

Macedonian: се потсмева mk(mk) (se pótsmeva), исмејува mk(mk) (isméjuva) Malayalam: പരിഹസിക്കുക ml(ml) (parihasikkuka) Norwegian: le no(no) Polish: wyśmiewać pl(pl), obśmiewać pl(pl) Portuguese: zoar pt(pt), tirrar sarro pt(pt), caçoar pt(pt), escarnecer pt(pt) Russian: смеяться (smeját's'a) (impf.), насмехаться (nasmexát's'a) (impf.) Slovene: zasmehovati Spanish: reírse de

affect or influence by means of laughter

Albanian: përqesh Danish: grine da(da) Dutch: lachen nl(nl) Finnish: naurattaa fi(fi), nauraa fi(fi)

Icelandic: hlæja is(is) Japanese: 一笑に付す (isshō ni fusu) Macedonian: засмева mk(mk) (zásmeva)

express by, or utter with, laughter

Albanian: qeshem Danish: grine da(da) Dutch: lachen nl(nl)

Finnish: nauraa fi(fi) Icelandic: hlæja is(is) Norwegian: le no(no)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Afrikaans: lag Breton: c'hoarzhin Croatian: smijati (se) Gothic: hlahjan Guaraní: puka Hawaiian: 'aka Hebrew: לצחוק Template:Romanization of Hebrew Ido: ridar Indonesian: tertawa

Kurdish: kenîn ku(ku), kenandin ku(ku) Lojban: cmila (1), mi'afra (2) Malay: ketawa Maori: kata Old English: hlæhhan, hliehhan Samoan: 'ata Slovak: smiech, rehot Swahili: kucheka Swedish: skratta Telugu: నవ్వు Tongan: kata Tupinambá: puká Turkish: gülmek Vietnamese: cười Welsh: chwerthin

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: nasmejan (biti)

Anagrams

• aghlu,
• Aghul

ar:laugh de:laugh et:laugh el:laugh es:laugh fa:laugh fr:laugh ko:laugh hr:laugh io:laugh id:laugh it:laugh kn:laugh kk:laugh ku:laugh lo:laugh li:laugh hu:laugh ml:laugh nl:laugh ja:laugh no:laugh oc:laugh pl:laugh pt:laugh ro:laugh ru:laugh simple:laugh sk:laugh fi:laugh sv:laugh ta:laugh te:laugh th:laugh tr:laugh uk:laugh vi:laugh zh:laugh