What does laughter mean?

Definitions for laughter
ˈlæf tər, ˈlɑf-laugh·ter

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word laughter.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. laugh, laughternoun

    the sound of laughing

  2. laughternoun

    the activity of laughing; the manifestation of joy or mirth or scorn

    "he enjoyed the laughter of the crowd"

Wiktionary

  1. laughternoun

    The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.

    Their loud laughter betrayed their presence

  2. laughternoun

    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.

  3. laughternoun

    A reason for merriment

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Laughternoun

    Convulsive merriment; an inarticulate expression of sudden merriment.

    Etymology: from laugh.

    To be worst,
    The lowest, most dejected thing of fortune,
    Stands still in esperance; lives not in fear.
    The lamentable change is from the best,
    The worst returns to laughter. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    The act of laughter, which is a sweet contraction of the muscles of the face, and a pleasant agitation of the vocal organs, is not merely voluntary, or totally within the jurisdiction of ourselves. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours, b. vii.

    We find not that the laughter loving dame
    Mourn’d for Anchises. Edmund Waller.

    Pain or pleasure, grief or laughter. Matthew Prior.

Wikipedia

  1. Laughter

    Laughter is a pleasant physical reaction and emotion consisting usually 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 rise from such activities as being tickled, or from humorous stories or thoughts. Most commonly, it is considered an auditory expression of a number of positive emotional states, such as joy, mirth, happiness, or relief. On some occasions, however, it may be caused by contrary emotional states such as embarrassment, surprise, or confusion such as nervous laughter or courtesy laugh. Age, gender, education, language, and culture are all indicators as to whether a person will experience laughter in a given situation. Some other species of primate (chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans) show laughter-like vocalizations in response to physical contact such as wrestling, play chasing or tickling. 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.The study of humor and laughter, and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body, is called gelotology.

ChatGPT

  1. laughter

    Laughter can be defined as a vocal expression or response that typically involves rhythmic, uncontrollable contractions of the diaphragm and other muscles, often accompanied by various facial expressions. It is a natural physiological reaction to humor, joy, or amusement and is often considered an indicator of happiness or enjoyment. Laughter can also serve as a social signal, promoting bonding and communication within a group.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Laughterverb

    a movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the face, particularly of the lips, 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. See Laugh, v. i

  2. Etymology: [AS. hleahtor; akin to OHG. hlahtar, G. gelchter, Icel. hltr, Dan. latter. See Laugh, v. i. ]

Wikidata

  1. Laughter

    Laughing is an involuntary reaction 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. This may account in part for the popularity of laugh tracks in situation comedy television shows. The study of humor and laughter, and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body, is called gelotology.

The Roycroft Dictionary

  1. laughter

    1. The sound you always hear when you chase your hat down the street. 2. Nature's rest-cure for tired nerves. 3. The solace of the sad. 4. A facial sunburst that is fatal to the glooms.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Laughter

    An involuntary expression of merriment and pleasure; it includes the patterned motor responses as well as the inarticulate vocalization.

Editors Contribution

  1. laughter

    A type of loving and joyful sound.

    We love the sound of children's laughter.


    Submitted by MaryC on February 17, 2020  

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. LAUGHTER

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Laughter is ranked #15210 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Laughter surname appeared 1,937 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Laughter.

    83.5% or 1,619 total occurrences were White.
    10.1% or 197 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    2.3% or 45 total occurrences were Black.
    2.2% or 43 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    1.2% or 25 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    0.4% or 8 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'laughter' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4029

  2. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'laughter' in Nouns Frequency: #1705

How to pronounce laughter?

How to say laughter in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of laughter in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of laughter in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of laughter in a Sentence

  1. Aristotle:

    The ridiculous is produced by any defect that is unattended by pain, or fatal consequences; thus, an ugly and deformed countenance does not fail to cause laughter, if it is not occasioned by pain.

  2. Peter Ustinov:

    I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me to be the most civilised music in the world.

  3. Henry Elliot:

    If its sanity you are after there is no recipe like laughter.

  4. Edwin Hubbel Chapin:

    Do not judge from mere appearances; for the lift laughter that bubbles on the lip often mantles over the depths of sadness, and the serious look may be the sober veil that covers a divine peace and joy. The bosom can ache beneath diamond brooches; and many a blithe heart dances under coarse wool.

  5. Shelby Lynn Gash:

    People think its hilarious, people are stopping in the middle of the night taking photos and laughing. People think its so much fun. I think theres a lot more laughter than its bringing out anything uncomfortable.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

laughter#10000#11977#100000

Translations for laughter

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for laughter »

Translation

Find a translation for the laughter definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"laughter." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/laughter>.

Discuss these laughter definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for laughter? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    laughter

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    of surpassing excellence
    A whirring
    B greedy
    C brilliant
    D alternate

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for laughter: