belly laugh

noun

Definition of belly laughnext
as in laughter
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement humorous anecdotes that are likely to evoke lots of smiles but few belly laughs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belly laugh Eddie has a way of getting into our heads and hearts for a belly laugh that eases pain, builds a bridge. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 This show, which still prompts belly laughs from my daughter and me even after countless rewatches, meets and surpasses my mother’s bar. — Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026 Rothberg leads the room through a laughter exercise—head laugh, chest laugh, belly laugh, roller-coaster laugh. — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2026 Serious belly laughs and nerve-racking moments arrive in equal measure; tonally, there’s nothing quite like it. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for belly laugh
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belly laugh
  1. laughter
  2. chuckle
  3. giggle
  4. laugh
  5. snicker
Noun
  • Bridey’s first response to life, even to its darknesses, is laughter.
    — Garth Greenwell, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Yet how could anyone object to spending 65 minutes with a zany Broadway star who has learned to turn her shame into shared laughter?
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of laughter
Noun
  • David’s Davidness—always eating a bowl of cereal before bed, hoarding Wagon Wheels, calling his artificial sweeteners ‘depth charges,’ laughing with a half-private chuckle at his own bad jokes—comes off the page in sparks.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Toward the end of the panel, Buttimer noted that Connaughton would have wanted to argue with each speaker, drawing chuckles from the audience.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of chuckle
Noun
  • Whittler kept trying to make it through the broadcast, but couldn’t contain her giggles.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Her giggles kept interrupting the tune through much of her performance, and soon Pioneer Hall was laughing with her and cheering her through it.
    — Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of giggle
Noun
  • The show is hosted by Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond, who never fail to bring the laughs as the home bakers succeed, or seize, under pressure.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Eisenberg’s film garnered considerable laughs — and applause — from the theater-going crowd at its starry NYFF screening that saw Eisenberg, the cast, producer Emma Stone and even Claire Danes in attendance.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of laugh
Noun
  • But there’s another 45 supremely indulgent auteur gunk that is snicker-worthy.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • As executed, the 2019 show is an emotional yet refreshingly unsentimental black comedy that snickers in the face of empowerment buzzwords like, well, healing journey.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of snicker

Browse Nearby Words

belly-lands
belly laugh
belly laughs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Belly laugh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belly%20laugh. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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