Meaning of "laugh" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD LAUGH

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

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF LAUGH

laugh  [lɑːf]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF LAUGH

Laugh is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb laugh in English.

WHAT DOES LAUGH MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Laughter

Laughing is a physical reaction in humans, consisting typically of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Laughter can arise from such activities as being tickled, or from humorous stories or thoughts. Most commonly, it is considered a visual expression of a number of positive emotional states, such as joy, mirth, happiness, relief, etc. On some occasions, however, it may be caused by contrary emotional states such as embarrassment, apology, or confusion or courtesy laugh. Factors such as age, gender, education, language, and culture are determinant factors as to whether a person will experience laughter in a given situation. Laughter is a part of human behavior regulated by the brain, helping humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and providing an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group — it signals acceptance and positive interactions with others. Laughter is sometimes seen as contagious, and the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others as a positive feedback.

Definition of laugh in the English dictionary

The first definition of laugh in the dictionary is 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. Other definition of laugh is to make a noise resembling a laugh. Laugh is also to utter or express with laughter.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO LAUGH

PRESENT

Present

I laugh

you laugh

he/she/it laughs

we laugh

you laugh

they laugh

Present continuous

I am laughing

you are laughing

he/she/it is laughing

we are laughing

you are laughing

they are laughing

Present perfect

I have laughed

you have laughed

he/she/it has laughed

we have laughed

you have laughed

they have laughed

Present perfect continuous

I have been laughing

you have been laughing

he/she/it has been laughing

we have been laughing

you have been laughing

they have been laughing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I laughed

you laughed

he/she/it laughed

we laughed

you laughed

they laughed

Past continuous

I was laughing

you were laughing

he/she/it was laughing

we were laughing

you were laughing

they were laughing

Past perfect

I had laughed

you had laughed

he/she/it had laughed

we had laughed

you had laughed

they had laughed

Past perfect continuous

I had been laughing

you had been laughing

he/she/it had been laughing

we had been laughing

you had been laughing

they had been laughing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will laugh

you will laugh

he/she/it will laugh

we will laugh

you will laugh

they will laugh

Future continuous

I will be laughing

you will be laughing

he/she/it will be laughing

we will be laughing

you will be laughing

they will be laughing

Future perfect

I will have laughed

you will have laughed

he/she/it will have laughed

we will have laughed

you will have laughed

they will have laughed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been laughing

you will have been laughing

he/she/it will have been laughing

we will have been laughing

you will have been laughing

they will have been laughing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would laugh

you would laugh

he/she/it would laugh

we would laugh

you would laugh

they would laugh

Conditional continuous

I would be laughing

you would be laughing

he/she/it would be laughing

we would be laughing

you would be laughing

they would be laughing

Conditional perfect

I would have laugh

you would have laugh

he/she/it would have laugh

we would have laugh

you would have laugh

they would have laugh

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been laughing

you would have been laughing

he/she/it would have been laughing

we would have been laughing

you would have been laughing

they would have been laughing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you laugh
we let´s laugh
you laugh

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to laugh

Past participle

laughed

Present Participle

laughing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «LAUGH»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «laugh» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of laugh

belly laugh · bust a gut · cackle · card · caution · character · chortle · chuckle · clown · comedian · comic · crack up · entertainer · giggle · guffaw · hoot · humorist · joke · joker · lark · prank · roar · scream · shriek · snigger · titter · wag · wit

TRANSLATION OF LAUGH

Find out the translation of laugh to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of laugh from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «laugh» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 笑
• Translator English - Spanish: risa
• English: laugh
• Translator English - Hindi: हंसी
• Translator English - Arabic: ضِحْكَةٌ
• Translator English - Russian: смех
• Translator English - Portuguese: risada
• Translator English - Bengali: হাসি
• Translator English - French: rire
• Translator English - Malay: Ketawa
• Translator English - German: Lachen
• Translator English - Japanese: 笑い
• Translator English - Korean: 웃음
• Translator English - Javanese: Ngguyu
• Translator English - Vietnamese: tiếng cười
• Translator English - Tamil: சிரிக்க
• Translator English - Marathi: हसणे
• Translator English - Turkish: gülmek
• Translator English - Italian: risata
• Translator English - Polish: śmiech
• Translator English - Ukrainian: сміх
• Translator English - Romanian: râs
• Translator English - Greek: γέλιο
• Translator English - Afrikaans: lag
• Translator English - Swedish: skratt
• Translator English - Norwegian: latter

10 QUOTES WITH «LAUGH»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word laugh.

1

Willie Aames

Nobody makes me laugh like my wife.

2

Jason Alexander

Things that make me laugh range from a wonderful stand-up like Jerry Seinfeld, Louis C.K. and Chris Rock to my son Gabe, who does great improv work. I also look backwards to the great comedic actors like Jackie Gleason, Paul Lynde and Phil Silvers.

3

Gary Allan

I don't want to hear songs about how sunshiny things are. I don't like songs that feel like radio candy... I like the ones that make you think, laugh or cry - they pull some kind of emotion out of you.

4

Richard C. Armitage

Adults will not necessarily laugh at the same thing as their children.

5

Nicole Beharie

I was the jokester, the one who made the family laugh.

6

Marcus Brigstocke

The basic function of a comic is stand-up because it's so straightforward and simple. If the audience don't laugh, you didn't do your job. I've had some audiences where I didn't care if they laughed or not because they were either too drunk or stupid.

7

Jane Welsh Carlyle

They call me 'sweet,' and 'gentle'; and some of the men go the length of calling me 'endearing,' and I laugh in my sleeve and think, 'Oh, Lord! If you but knew what a brimstone of a creature I am behind all this beautiful amiability!'

8

Jim Carrey

My focus is to forget the pain of life. Forget the pain, mock the pain, reduce it. And laugh.

9

Helena Bonham Carter

Fairytales have always got to have that scary quality, as long as you make them laugh.

10

John Cleese

If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And if I can persuade you to laugh at the particular point I make, by laughing at it you acknowledge its truth.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «LAUGH»

Discover the use of laugh in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to laugh and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Laugh-Makers: Stand-Up Comedy as Art, Business, and Life-Style

The Laugh-Makers is an intensive sociological field study of the drive to become a successful stand-up comic in Canada.

Robert A. Stebbins, 1990

Laugh Again

Did you hear the one about the Christian who couldn't keep from laughing? Chuck Swindoll has not only heard it, he tells it in this delightful book that gives us permission to be happy again. "When did life stop being funny?" Swindoll asks.

Charles Swindoll, 1995

Laugh Lines: Short Comic Plays

" A bonanza for theatergoers, performers, and comedy fans, Laugh Lines will bring down the house. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Eric Lane, Nina Shengold, 2008

Make 'Em Laugh: 35 Years of the Comic Strip, the Greatest ...

This book is a must for any comedian or comedy lover’s library!

Jeffrey Gurian, Richie Tienken, 2013

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage: Unlocking the Secrets ...

A beloved pastor and motivational speaker uses his unique blend of humor and truth to empower couples with the tools they need to forge a more perfect union.

Mark Gungor, 2009

License to Laugh: Humor in the Classroom

Laughter stimulates creativity, reduces stress, and motivates students to perform. These are only some of the benefits that make humor a great tool for the classroom.

Richard A. Shade, 1996

Don't Laugh at Me

For anyone who’s ever been bullied--or been a bully themselves--it’s time to change your tune. This is not a book for whiners, but a new language that will give you the words you need to take charge and stop the cycle of teasing.

Steve Seskin, Allen Shamblin, 2002

Laugh and Learn Grammar: Grades 4-6

Capitalize on students' natural interest in word play by using jokes and riddles to teach grammar and usage. Each lesson is followed by at least one practice page for students to complete independently.

Debra J. Housel, Eric Migliaccio, 2006

Sharing a Laugh: Heartwarming and Sidesplitting Stories from ...

Sharing a Laugh will entertain and delight you with humor from: Patsy Clairmont, Barbara Johnson, Nicole Johnson, Marilyn Meberg, Luci Swindoll, Sheila Walsh, Thelma Wells, and others.

Women of Faith, 2007

The Game of Humor: A Comprehensive Theory of Why We Laugh

This book will also be valuable to professionals in communication and information studies, sociologists, literary critics and linguists, and psychologists concerned with the conflicts and tensions of everyday life.

Charles R. Gruner, 2000

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «LAUGH»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term laugh is used in the context of the following news items.

Hospital's 'Laugh Cafe' For Seniors Proves That Laughter Is The …

The Laugh Cafe opened in August of 2012, and it holds monthly, hour-long laugh sessions. There's a one-time forty dollar fee to join, and from ... «Huffington Post, Jul 15»

Javone Prince: 'It's lovely to make people belly laugh' | Television …

“Stuff that I grew up watching, I used to belly laugh,” he says. “I think it's quite lovely if you can make someone belly laugh – cackle. And that's ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»

Minnesota comedian, cancer survivor refuses to let cancer have l …

A young man, with a young family to take care of, Burton had a lot to live for. But for the first time in his life, he didn't have much to laugh about. «FOX 9 News, Jul 15»

'Comedy King' Kapil Sharma to make 'em laugh at Boardwalk Hall …

WHO IS HE: Kamil Sharma is a stand-up comedian, actor and television host from India who is known as the “Comedy King.” His big break ... «Press of Atlantic City, Jul 15»

Beautiful Creations: Styling and a laugh guaranteed at new salon …

MARTINSBURG - Romona "Monie" Williams and Stacy Maisonneuve are celebrating the grand opening of their salon, A Cut Above, 302 ... «Martinsburg Journal, Jul 15»

Donald and Westwood are game for a laugh, Pepperell joins Spieth …

Donald and Westwood are game for a laugh, Pepperell joins Spieth fan club and Nagle remembered - all the latest from The Open 2015 Tee ... «Daily Mail, Jul 15»

Cameron should ignore the BBC or just laugh and say you're …

Watch out, Cameron! Take cover, Farage! The comic genius behind Spitting Image has hatched a plan to bring his swivel-eyed puppets back to ... «Daily Mail, Jul 15»

College baseball: Geckos get last laugh, win league title …

Members of the Glenwood Springs Geckos pile on each other after beating the Vail Vipers 9-8 in the Mountain West Summer College Baseball ... «Glenwood Springs Post Independent, Jul 15»

Having a good laugh in Sowerby Bridge ... - Halifax Courier

David Longley has a humble silliness which ingratiates him to audiences. He delivers deadpan accounts of his everyday life which are ... «Halifax Evening Courier, Jul 15»

Live, laugh and eat away, echos Bollywood on Eid - IBNLive

Mumbai: On the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday, the festive mood was high among the Hindi film fraternity. Lata Mangeshkar ... «IBNLive, Jul 15»