laughter
English · Thesaurus
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laughter¹
- /ˈlɑːf.tə/ UK
- /ˈlæf.tɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːftə(ɹ), -æftə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English laughter, laghter, laȝter, from Old English hleahtor (“laughter, jubilation, derision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahtraz (“laughter”), from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Cognate with German Gelächter (“laughter, hilarity, merriment”), Danish and Norwegian latter (“laughter”), Icelandic hlátur (“laughter”). More at laugh.
noun laughters · laughtre
- The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound. Their loud laughter betrayed their presence.
- A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the laughing face, particularly of the lips, and of the whole body, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs. The act of laughter, which is caused by a sweet contraction of the muscles of the face, and a pleasant agitation of the vocal organs, is not merely, or totally within the jurisdiction of ourselves.
- A reason for merriment.
Laughter²
proper noun Laughters
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: laugh, laughing, giggle, giggling, joke, funny, smile, amusement, fun, smiling, kidding, heckling, meditation, snort, comedy, irb
Translations
Every language
noun sound (as) of laughing
| Español | risa |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 웃음 useum, 웃음소리 useumsori |
| 日本語 | 笑い声 waraigoe, 笑い warai |
| 中文 | 笑聲 /笑声 xiàoshēng |
| हिन्दी | हंसी hansī, ख़ंदा xandā, खंदा khandā, हास hās |
| Português | risada, risos |
| Français | rire |
| Deutsch | Gelächter, Lachen |
| Italiano | risata, riso |
| Ελληνικά | γέλιο gélio |
| Română | râs, râset |
| Русский | смех smex, хо́хот xóxot |
| Tiếng Việt | sự cười, tiếng cười |
| العربية | ضَحِك ḍaḥik, ضِحْك ḍiḥk |
| עברית | צְחוֹק ts'khok |
Talk about this word "laughter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/laughter. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. laughter. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/laughter "laughter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/laughter.Cite this
@misc{laughter_2026,
title = {laughter},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/laughter},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
