Let's talk about laughter!
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Light laughter
To giggle
If someone giggles, they laugh quietly. Teenage girls known for giggling together (I definitely did!). It’s often associated with something silly or embarrassing.
“The girls giggled together as they ate their lunch.”
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To chuckle
Chucking is a quiet kind of laughter that someone does privately or inwardly. I associate this kind of laughter with men in their later years (although I’m not sure why!)
‘“Paul and John chuckled as they remembered their time at university.”
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Strong laughter
Give someone the giggles
If someone ‘gives you the giggles’, they make you laugh a lot. When I was growing up, me and my friend Kathy used to give each other the giggles a lot and we would end up holding our stomachs begging each other to stop because we were laughing so much!
“You gave me the giggles and I can’t stop laughing!”
to howl
Laughing loudly can be described as ‘howling!’ This is the sound that wolves make and it can also be used to describe someone crying! You can say that they were laughing so much they were ‘howling’ or that they were ‘howling with laughter.’
“He howled with laughter at Steve’s joke.”
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To laugh your head off
When you laugh really hard for a long time, you can say that you ‘laughed your head off’. This sounds quite funny now that I think about it but it is quite a common expression!
“Tom laughed his head off at Joe’s joke when we were moving house.”
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A chortle
You can describe a loud, happy laugh as a ‘chortle.’ This isn’t a very common word and I don’t use it but maybe you’ll come across it someday….
“He chortled at the thought of it.”
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A gaffaw
Another way to describe a loud laugh is a ‘gaffaw’. This word is definitely used in writing more than speaking.
“There was a gaffaw of laughter from someone in the crowd.”
Noises
To shriek
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If someone laughs in quite a high pitched way, like a scream you can say that they are ‘shrieking!” This kind of laughter is definitely more associated with women than men. This makes me smile just thinking about it!
“Joanna shrieked with laughter remembering the fun they had had.”
To snort
Although this verb can be used to talk about cocaine, people also sometimes ‘snort’ when they laugh. This is when you make a loud sound like a pig, through your noise!
“Baby Han was so sweet when he snorted when he was laughing!”
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Spontaneity
To Laugh out loud
Laughing out loud is quite self-explanatory and means that someone makes a noise when they laugh, rather than just laughing to themselves. If you’ve ever wondered what LOL means online or in text message now you know!
“She laughed out loud when he told her the news.”
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To burst out laughing
When someone bursts out laughing, they laugh quite suddenly. This is a very common expression.
“She burst out laughing after her friend had finished telling her the anecdote .”
Laughter at others
To snigger
Sniggering isn’t a very nice kind of laughter Similarly to giggling it is associated with teenagers and people laugh in this way when they are laughing at someone, perhaps because that person has done something embarrassing.
“She sniggered at the man as he tripped over the step.”
To find something very funny so that you laugh a lot
To find something amusing
Something that makes you laugh you laugh or smile can be described as amusing. This word usually describes something that is quite funny rather than very funny.
“The story was very amusing! ”
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To find something hilarious
Something that is hilarious, it is extremely funny and you’ll be on the floor laughing!
“His account of what happened was hilarious! ”
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To find something hysterical
Something that is hysterical, it is very very funny.
“I loved that part of the film! It was absolutely hysterical!”
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So, these are some of the words and terms that you can talk about laughter! Maybe you know some more words or let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below.