# laughing

Pronunciation: US say "LAH-fing" /ˈlɑːfɪŋ/; UK say "LAHF-ing" /ˈlɑːfɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of laugh. — present participle and gerund of laugh
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of laugh. Use this -ing form for an action happening now or as a naming word.
   - _She kept laughing until tears rolled down her cheeks._
   - _Laughing loudly, he slapped the table and called for another round._

## Noun

2. The vocal act of expressing amusement, joy, or sometimes scorn, typically through repeated sounds and a smile.
   - Simple: The act of making happy sounds with your voice when something is funny.
   - _Laughing filled the room as the comedian delivered his punchline._
   - _There was so much laughing at the dinner table that no one finished eating._

## Origin

From Middle English lawghynge, equivalent to laugh plus the suffix -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/laughing (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).