belly laugh
An often uncontrolled, loud, and hearty laugh. The old man let out a giant belly laugh when he saw his young granddaughter spill an entire bowl of spaghetti on her head. I think the audience really enjoyed your speech. I could hear a lot of belly laughs! I had to belly laugh when my young neighbor burst outside wearing nothing but a superhero cape.
bubble over with (something)
To exhibit or express some emotion that one is unable to contain. The best teachers are the ones who bubble over with enthusiasm for their subjects. I could tell that he was bubbling over with anger, so I brought him outside to help him calm down a bit. The kids always bubble over with excitement on the last day of school before summer.
burst into laughter
To start laughing suddenly or uncontrollably. The kids burst into laughter when the clown fell down on stage. I couldn't help but burst into laughter when Carl ripped his pants trying to do those ridiculous dance moves. I was mortified when the boys burst into laughter in the middle of the church service.
canned laughter
Recorded laughter that is commonly played during a TV show's humorous moments, as to encourage the audience to laugh as well. Of course that corny show uses canned laughter to try to convince us that it’s funny. I don't know how you can watch these old sitcoms. Everything about them annoys me, starting with the canned laughter. The canned laughter is just for comedic effect, to emphasize how light and fun this episode is in comparison to others in the series.
creased with laughter
1. Of the face, showing wrinkles because of hearty or prolonged laughter. My whole face was so creased with laughter by the end of Bob's hilarious story that it actually felt sore! I guess I missed a funny moment in the movie because, when I came back from the bathroom, everyone's faces were creased with laughter. I mean, if you're out with friends and your face isn't creased with laughter, are you even having a good time?
2. Of a person, seized with a laughing fit. Everyone in the audience was left creased with laughter from the comedian's jokes. Those two need to be separated—I can't have them creased with laughter in the middle of class. We were all creased with laughter during Uncle Phil's dramatic retelling of his bizarre trip to the market.
Does anybody remember laughter?
A phrase suggestive of a grim reality or situation. It was famously said by Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant during a live performance of "Stairway to Heaven" in 1976. Yeah, she's been acting like a total weirdo lately, wearing all black and walking around saying eerie things like, "Does anybody remember laughter?" A: "So, as you can see, our sales forecasts for this quarter are… well, once again, they're not very good." B: "Wow. Does anybody remember laughter?" A: "Only one more day of exams to get through." B: "Thank goodness. Does anyone remember laughter?"
fall about with laughter
To be consumed by uncontrollable laughter. Primarily heard in UK. We all fell about with laughter when the professor accidentally swore during his lecture. My brother-in-law's wicked sense of humor has us falling about with laughter every time we hang out with him. Once one actor falls about with laughter, it's only a matter of time until their scene partners join them.
fit to burst (with some emotion)
informal Experiencing such an extreme degree of some emotion as to be nearly uncontrollable. Primarily heard in UK. Dad looked fit to burst with anger after he saw the dent in his car. The kids are so excited to go to Disney World that they're simply fit to burst! The board's baffling decision left me fit to burst with frustration.
gales of laughter
Loud outbursts of laughter. It sounded like everyone had a good time at your party last night. I could hear gales of laughter coming from your patio. I had hoped to hear gales of laughter after my opening joke, but the unamused audience was completely silent. We all got in trouble when the principal heard gales of laughter coming from the classroom.
howl with laughter
To laugh uproariously. His opening monologue must have gone really well—we could hear the audience howling with laughter. Oh my gosh, we were all howling with laughter at your uncle's hilarious stories. It makes me happy to hear my kids howl with laughter at the slapstick of The Three Stooges.
laughter is the best medicine
proverb Laughing a lot is a very effective means of recovering from physical or mental injury. More generally, keeping a positive outlook on life will help combat negative emotions during hard times. I think the best thing for you right now would be to spend some time with people you can joke around with. Laughter is the best medicine, after all.
roar with laughter
To laugh loudly and heartily. The audience roared with laughter during the hilarious skit. Be quiet! If you two keep roaring with laughter like that, you're gonna wake the baby.
shake with laughter
To be consumed by uncontrollable laughter. Primarily heard in UK. We all shook with laughter when the professor accidentally swore during his lecture. My brother-in-law's wicked sense of humor has us shaking with laughter every time we hang out with him.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
burst into
1. Also, burst out in or into . Break out into sudden activity. For example, burst into flames means "break out in a fire," as in This dry woodpile may well burst into flames. A version of this term, which dates from the 16th century, was used figuratively by John Milton: "Fame is the spur ... But the fair guerdon [reward] when we hope to find, and think to burst out into sudden blaze" ( Lycidas, 1637).
2. Also, burst out. Give sudden utterance to. For example, burst into tears or laughter or song or speech or burst out crying or laughing or singing , etc. mean "begin suddenly to weep, laugh, sing," and so on, as in When she saw him, she burst into tears, or I burst out laughing when I saw their outfits, or When they brought in the cake, we all burst into song. These terms have been so used since the late 1300s.
canned laughter
Also, canned music. Prerecorded sound effects that can be played repeatedly, as in That canned laughter doesn't make his jokes any funnier, or Canned music is greatly reducing the number of musical jobs available. O. Henry had the term in his story, Cabbages and Kings (1903): "We'll export canned music to the Latins." Canned laughter today is often used in broadcasting to simulate the reaction of a nonexistent live audience. [c. 1900]
shake with laughter
Convulse with the humor of something, as in When asked if he was planning to give away the bride, he shook with laughter at the very thought . [Early 1700s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.