laughter

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“
The event included many funny stories and the laughter was a healthy relief for the sadness.

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Definitions (8)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun The act of laughing.
  2. noun The sound produced by laughing.
  3. noun Archaic A cause or subject for laughter.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (2)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • But beneath their laughter was the grim awareness that if it had happened while the boat was submerged, no human strength could have shoved the stopcock back in place against the pressure of the ocean. —  Grey Wolf, Grey Sea
  • Given Turtleneck's friendly demeanor, she guessed that the laughter was at Beer. —  AHMM,March2006
  • Scores had witnessed the blundering attack, and the laughter was attracting even more to watch Three warriors, decidedly lacking in humor, came running from the corral, but Cetshwayo waved them off Ngqumbazi sat up and looked at the surrounding villagers, her mouth gaping. —  FSF - April2006
  • I laughed when a librarian at the Bodleian suggested, only half joking, that I might move into the stacks, but my laughter was a polite, brittle noise. —  The Beekeeper’s Apprentice - Laurie R. King - Russell-Holmes 01
  • But instead there was nothing but laughter, much snapping of fingers and enticing noises made between the lips, and the laughter was as merry and appealing as the sudden view-hallo of children when a circus-clown kisses a pig. —  OM: The Secret of Ahbor Valley
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

laugh ·  mirth ·  amusement ·  joy ·  anger ·  shout ·  cheer ·  chuckle ·  noise ·  admiration ·  voice ·  whisper
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English hleahtor.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. = Scots lauchter; from Middle English laughter, lauhter, from Anglo-Saxon hleahtor (= Old High German hlahtar, lahter, Middle High German lahter (collectively gelehter, German gelächter) = Icelandic hlātr = Danish latter, laughter), from hlehhan, laugh: see laugh, v.
 

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/ˈlɑftər/
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