collocations.org

Collocations for laugh - noun

1. sound/act of laughing

ADJECTIVE

loud
light, little, short, slight, small, soft
deep, low, rich
big, good, great
The last joke got the biggest laugh.
belly, booming, hearty
harsh, shrill
barking, husky, throaty
sexy
He laughed that warm, sexy laugh.
tinkling
amused, delighted
embarrassed, nervous, shaky
bitter, cynical, derisive, dry, fake (esp. AmE), forced, hollow, humourless/humorless, mirthless, mocking, rueful, sarcastic, scornful, wry
She forced a bitter laugh.
genuine
Nick responded with a genuine laugh.
cruel, evil, sinister
The man laughed, a harsh, evil laugh.
cheap
This movie is too intent upon getting cheap laughs.
infectious

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VERB + laugh

give, laugh, let out
He gave a short, amused laugh.
She laughed a hollow laugh then fell silent.
have
share
We all shared a good laugh.
force, manage
bite back (esp. AmE), choke back, hold back, smother (esp. AmE), stifle, suppress
She tried to suppress a laugh, but ended up giggling anyway.
enjoy, like
He enjoys a good laugh.
draw, earn (AmE), get, raise (BrE)
That earned a laugh from everyone.
Few of his jokes got a laugh.
She got a laugh out of Jack.
hear

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laugh + VERB

escape sb
A small laugh escaped her.
ring out
A laugh rang out behind me.

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PREPOSITION

for a laugh
She dyed her hair green just for a laugh.
with a laugh
He left the room with a cynical laugh.
laugh about, laugh at
We all had a great laugh about it when we got home.
laugh over
I had a good laugh over that one.

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PHRASES

be good for a laugh
Paula's always good for a laugh (= always amusing).
have the last laugh
We'll have the last laugh if she finds out that you're the one who played the trick.
a laugh at sb's expense
Oh yes, very funny—have your laugh at my expense!
the laugh is on sb (= sb looks ridiculous after they have tried to make fun of sb else)
play sb/sth for laughs
She seemed unsure of whether to play her role seriously or for laughs.

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2. sb/sth that is amusing

ADJECTIVE

good, great, real

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PHRASES

a barrel of laughs, a bit of a laugh, a laugh a minute (= very funny)

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Collocations for laugh - verb

ADVERB

aloud, loudly, out loud
It looked so funny that I almost laughed out loud.
gently, inwardly, lightly, quietly, silently, softly, under your breath
deeply, hard, heartily, a lot, really, uproariously
I have not heard an audience laugh so hard for a long time.
He laughed heartily at his own joke.
just, merely, simply
I thought she would be angry but she just laughed.
almost
briefly, a little, shakily, sheepishly, shortly, slightly, weakly
She laughed slightly as she saw my expression.
suddenly
easily, freely
She smiles and laughs easily.
openly, outright
helplessly, uncontrollably
cheerfully, delightedly (esp. AmE), happily, merrily
hysterically
nervously, uneasily
I laughed uneasily, trying to make light of the moment.
politely
good-naturedly
Emilio tilted his head back and laughed good-naturedly.
incredulously, in disbelief
triumphantly
bitterly, coldly, cynically, derisively, drily, evilly, grimly, harshly, hollowly, humourlessly/humorlessly, mirthlessly, mockingly, ruefully, sarcastically, scornfully, wickedly, wryly
He realized how he had been fooled, and laughed bitterly.
insanely, madly, maniacally, manically
together
They were talking and laughing together.

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VERB + laugh

have to, want to
He looked so funny I just had to laugh.
begin to, start to
try not to
I was watching them and trying not to laugh.
learn to
Don't take life too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself.
make sb
He pulled a funny face to make us laugh.
hear sb
I heard him suddenly laugh aloud.

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PREPOSITION

about
Tomorrow you'll be able to laugh about this.
at
The audience laughed at her jokes.
in
Sam shook her head, laughing in amusement.
over
We were laughing over some joke Bentley had told.
with
She spent time talking and laughing with the children.
Trent almost laughed with relief.

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PHRASES

burst out laughing, bust out laughing (AmE)
can't help laughing, can't stop laughing
She was fooling around and we couldn't stop laughing.
fall about laughing (BrE)
It was so funny we just fell about laughing.
find yourself laughing
He laughed, and she found herself laughing with him.
start laughing
Vivian started laughing hysterically.
stop laughing

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Laugh is used with these nouns as the subject:
audience, eye

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Laugh is used with these nouns as the object:
laugh

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