English Vocabulary: how we laugh!

Bonjour!

(that’s “hello” in French).

Laughing is one of the best ways to spend our time as humans on this planet, right? So today we are going to look at different words we can use in the English language for this wonderful activity!

Synonyms of the verb “to laugh”

Laugh 

Definition: to show that you are happy or that you think something is funny by smiling and making a sound from your throat.

Example: “I always laugh a lot when I watch a Monty Python film”

Chuckle

Definition: to laugh in a quiet way.

Example: “When he heard the story, he chuckled quietly”

Chortle 

Definition: to laugh because you are amused or pleased by something.

Example: “My grandfather would always chortle when he remembered his childhood adventures”

Guffaw

Definition: to laugh loudly.

Example: “Jane has the best laugh; if you tell her something funny she guffaws“

Cackle

Definition: to laugh noisily and a bit unpleasantly.

Example: “The witches cackled as they decided what to do with the prisoners”

Giggle

Definition: to laugh in a nervous or childlike way.

Example: “The school kids giggled while they were practicing for the play”

Titter

Definition: to laugh in a nervous or childlike way.

Example: “When I’m nervous, I titter“

Snicker 

Definition: to make a short, quiet laugh in a way that shows disrespect.

Example: “James was snickering at Alice’s clothes; he isn’t very nice”

Burst out laughing

Definition: to begin to laugh suddenly.

Example: “When he fell over, we all burst out laughing“

Howl with laughter

Definition: to laugh heartily.

Example: “Maria howled with laughter when we told her the anecdote”

Crack up

Definition: to cause to laugh out loud.

Example: “That joke really cracked her up“

Dissolve into laughter 

Definition: to begin suddenly to display laughter.

Example: “We kept dissolving into laughter in the middle of class”

Split one’s sides 

Definition: to laugh a lot at something.

Example: “Laura can always make me laugh, when we are together we split our sides laughing”

Be (rolling) on the floor

Definition: to laugh a lot at something.

Example: “When was the last time you rolled on the floor laughing?”

Be doubled up 

Definition: to laugh a lot at something.

Example: “My father doubled up laughing at the joke”

Be in stitches

Definition:  to laugh a lot at something.

Example: “That movie had me in stitches, it was so funny!”