laugh

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a facial expression characteristic of a person laughing

   Their face wrinkled in a silent laugh of derision.

2. 2
   noun

   An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter.

   And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.

3. 3
   noun

   Something that provokes mirth or scorn.

   “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.”

4. 4
   noun

   A fun person.

   a good laugh

5. 5
   verb

   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.

   There were many laughing children running on the school grounds.

6. 6
   verb

   To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.

   The green ſtem grows in ſtature and in ſize, / But only feeds with hope the farmer's eyes; / Then laughs the childiſh year with flow'rets crowned, / And laviſhly prefumes the fields around, / But no ſubſtantial nouriſhment receives, / Infirm the ſtalks, unſolid are the leaves.

7. 7
   verb

   To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock.

   Don't laugh at my new hat, man!

8. 8
   verb

   To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.

   Will you laugh me aſleepe, for I am very heauy.

Etymology

From Middle English laughen, laghen, from (Anglian) Old English hlæhhan, hlehhan, (West Saxon) hliehhan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną. Cognates Germanic: Scots lauch (“to laugh”), Yola leeigh, leigh (“to laugh”), North Frisian laache, lachi, laake, loache, lååke (“to laugh”), Saterland Frisian laachje (“to laugh”), West Frisian laitsje (“to laugh”), Alemannic German lache (“to laugh”), Cimbrian lachan (“to laugh”), Dutch, German, and Low German lachen (“to laugh”), Luxembourgish laachen (“to laugh”), Yiddish לאַכן (lakhn, “to laugh”), Danish, Norwegian Bokm…