Definitions for laughter
ˈlæf tər, ˈlɑf-laugh·ter

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

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(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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.

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

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. ]

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  

Matched Categories

1. • Activity
   • Utterance

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

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Joseph Addison:

   Man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter.

2. Katy Perry:

   I get really offended at the concept that what came out of the election was that — how do I say this? — impoverished people who are not of color needed more attention. I thought that was kind of crazy, that they might need more television, they have television. [Laughter] It just felt very strange to me. And I thought really, the people who really need to be spoken to are the 50 percent of the population that did not vote at all. Those are the people who need to be more engaged.

3. Kevin Sparks Janeway:

   Laughter helps my mind learn.

4. T. S. Eliot:

   Laughter (humor) is the best medicine”!

5. Charlie Chaplin:

   Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain.

Popularity rank by frequency of use