laugh
/lɑːf/verb
उच्चारण लाफ़
हँसना; हँसी उड़ाना
Basic word
- 1
[I] ~ (at/about sth)
to make the sounds and movements of your face that show you are happy or think something is funny; (laugh at sb) to make somebody seem stupid by making jokes about them
हँसना; हँसी उड़ाना
- We laughed at the joke.
- Don't laugh at others.
- The whole audience laughed when the actor slipped on stage.
+ 2 more examples
- Radhika could not help laughing at her brother's silly dance.
- It is rude to laugh at someone who makes a mistake.
- 1
[C]
the act of laughing or the sound you make when you laugh; (informal) an activity or a person that is fun or amusing
हँसी
- a loud laugh
- She gave a nervous laugh and changed the subject.
- His loud laugh could be heard from the other end of the corridor.
+ 1 more example
- We had a good laugh about it afterwards.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
laugh at sb/sth
Use at for the thing that amuses you. With a person it can also mean mocking them, which is unkind.
जो चीज़ आपको हँसाए उसके लिए 'at' लगता है; किसी व्यक्ति के साथ इसका अर्थ उसका मज़ाक उड़ाना भी हो सकता है, जो अशिष्ट है।
- We laughed at the clown's tricks.
- Don't laugh at him; he is trying his best.
laugh about / over sth
Use about or over when you laugh while talking about an event, often one that now seems funny.
जब किसी घटना के बारे में बात करते हुए हँसी आए, तब 'about' या 'over' का प्रयोग होता है; घटना अब प्रायः मज़ेदार लगती है।
- Years later, we laughed about our first day at college.
laugh with sb / laugh out loud
Laugh with means sharing the joke. Laugh out loud means laughing so that others can hear.
'Laugh with' का अर्थ मज़ाक में साथ हँसना है, और 'laugh out loud' का अर्थ ऐसे हँसना है कि दूसरे सुन सकें।
- She laughed with her friends over the old photograph.
- The joke made the whole class laugh out loud.
a laugh (noun) / have a laugh
As a countable noun, a laugh is the sound itself. In informal British English, have a laugh means to enjoy yourself and joke.
Countable noun के रूप में 'a laugh' हँसी की आवाज़ है; अनौपचारिक British English में 'have a laugh' का अर्थ मज़े करना और मज़ाक करना है।
- He gave a loud laugh.
- We had a good laugh at the party.
+Collocations 4
adverb + laugh
loudlyheartilynervouslypolitelyuncontrollably
- The audience laughed heartily at the comedian's jokes.
adjective + laugh
heartyloudshortbitternervous
- He gave a short, nervous laugh before answering.
verb + laugh
burst outhaveraisesharehold back
- The students burst out laughing when the fan fell.
laugh + particle
offawayout loudaloudalong
- Radhika tried to laugh away her fear.
“More examples 5
- The children laughed until their stomachs hurt.
बच्चे इतना हँसे कि उनके पेट में दर्द होने लगा।
- She laughed at the idea of waking up at four every day.
वह हर रोज़ चार बजे जागने के विचार पर हँस पड़ी।
- He who laughs last laughs longest, so wait for the result.
जो अंत में हँसता है वही सबसे अच्छा हँसता है, इसलिए परिणाम की प्रतीक्षा कीजिए।
- We only did it for a laugh, not to hurt anyone.
हमने यह केवल मज़े के लिए किया था, किसी को चोट पहुँचाने के लिए नहीं।
- Radhika could not help laughing at the teacher's story.
राधिका अध्यापक की कहानी पर हँसे बिना नहीं रह सकी।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ Everybody laughed on his mistake.
✓ Everybody laughed at his mistake.
The preposition after laugh is at when you mean the cause of amusement or mockery.
हँसी के कारण या उपहास के लिए 'laugh' के बाद 'at' आता है, 'on' नहीं।
✗ She laughed to the joke.
✓ She laughed at the joke.
'Laugh' takes at, not to, before the thing that amuses.
जो चीज़ हँसाए उसके पहले 'laugh' के साथ 'at' आता है, 'to' नहीं।
✗ Do not make laugh of the poor.
✓ Do not laugh at the poor.
Hindi 'हँसी उड़ाना' does not translate as 'make laugh of'; use laugh at or make fun of.
हिंदी 'हँसी उड़ाना' का अनुवाद 'make laugh of' नहीं होता; 'laugh at' या 'make fun of' लिखें।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
These verbs all describe amused sounds, but the volume and feeling differ.
ये क्रियाएँ हँसी की आवाज़ बताती हैं, पर आवाज़ की मात्रा और भाव अलग हैं।
The general word for the sound of amusement.
मनोरंजन की आवाज़ के लिए सामान्य शब्द।
- The whole class laughed.
A light, silly laugh, often nervous or hard to stop.
हल्की, बचकानी हँसी, प्रायः घबराहट में या रोकने में कठिन।
- The girls giggled behind their books.
A quiet laugh made in the throat, often in private.
गले से निकली धीमी हँसी, प्रायः निजी रूप से।
- Grandfather chuckled at the cartoon.
¶Idioms 3
have the last laugh
to be successful when others were expecting you to fail
(जिन्होंने हँसी उड़ाई उनके सामने) आख़िर में जीतना
- They mocked her small shop, but she had the last laugh when it became a big business.
- Critics called the film a flop, but the director had the last laugh.
for a laugh
as a joke; for fun
मज़ाक़ में; मज़े के लिए
- They hid his bag just for a laugh.
- We entered the dance competition for a laugh.
he who laughs last laughs longest / loudest
do not be too pleased about your success now, because in the end somebody else may be more successful than you
अंत में हँसने वाला ही असली विजेता होता है
- They mocked her slow start, but he who laughs last laughs longest.
- Remember that he who laughs last laughs loudest; the match is not over yet.
→Phrasal verbs 1
laugh sth off
to try to make people think that sth is not serious or important by making a joke about it
किसी बात को हँसी में उड़ा देना
- She laughed off the rumours about her marriage.
- He tried to laugh off his mistake.
◇Word family
?Which word?
Keep the laugh words: chuckle (quiet), giggle (silly, high), guffaw (loud), snigger (unkind, half-hidden), chortle, titter, beam (a wide smile).
हँसी के शब्द याद रखिए: chuckle (धीमी), giggle (मूर्खतापूर्ण, ऊँची, खिलखिलाहट), guffaw (ठहाका), snigger (निर्दयी, आधी-छिपी), chortle, titter, beam (चौड़ी मुस्कान)।
§Grammar and usage
Laugh, /lɑːf/, with -gh pronounced /f/ (like cough, enough, tough).
Laugh, /lɑːf/, -gh की ध्वनि /f/ (cough, enough, tough की तरह)।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Laughter is the best medicine, laugh your head off (laugh very loudly), laugh in sb's face (show no respect for somebody), have the last laugh (succeed in the end after others thought you would fail), no laughing matter (something serious), laugh all the way to the bank (make a lot of money easily).
Idioms बहुत पूछे जाते हैं: laughter is the best medicine (हँसी सबसे अच्छी दवा है), laugh your head off (बहुत ज़ोर से हँसना, हँसते-हँसते लोटपोट होना), laugh in sb's face (किसी का अनादर दिखाना), have the last laugh (दूसरों के विफल समझने के बाद अंत में सफल होना), no laughing matter (गंभीर बात), laugh all the way to the bank (आसानी से बहुत पैसा कमाना)।