Definitions for laughter
ˈlæf tər, ˈlɑf-laugh·ter

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. laugh, laughter(noun)

   the sound of laughing

2. laughter(noun)

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

   "he enjoyed the laughter of the crowd"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. laughter(Noun)

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

   Their loud laughter betrayed their presence

2. laughter(Noun)

   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. laughter(Noun)

   A reason for merriment

Webster Dictionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Laughter(verb)

   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

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

Freebase(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

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(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Laughter

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

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. laughter

   A type of loving and joyful sound.

   We love the sound of children's laughter.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 17, 2020  

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?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

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. Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger, chapter 10 (1916):

   [Humanity] has unquestionably one really effective weapon—laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution—these can lift at a colossal humbug—push it a little—weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.

2. President Trump:

   Oh it was great, well that was meant to get some laughter, but it was great.

3. 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.

4. Rafael Sabatini:

   He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad,

5. Ted Brown:

   The goal of the study is to prove that laughter therapy is effective, that the hypothesis that it is effective is true.

Images & Illustrations of laughter

Popularity rank by frequency of use