English Reference
Idiom idiom

burst out laughing


To start laughing suddenly and intensely.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

He burst out laughing when he saw the funny video.

CONTEXTUAL

During the serious meeting, she suddenly burst out laughing after remembering a silly joke from earlier that morning.

COMPLEX

Despite the solemn atmosphere of the library, the student burst out laughing upon reading the absurd passage in his old textbook.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    barrel of laughs

    A great amount of enjoyment or entertainment, or something or someone that provides this.

  2. 02

    bundle of laughs

    Something or someone very funny or fun.

  3. 03

    burst in

    to enter suddenly and unexpectedly

  4. 04

    burst into tears

    To suddenly start crying or sobbing.

  5. 05

    burst someone's bubble

    To disillusion; to disabuse someone of a false notion or rationalization that has grown comfortable.

  6. 06

    enough to make a cat laugh

    Very outlandish or outrageous.

  7. 07

    have a laugh

    To joke; kid around.

  8. 08

    have the last laugh

    To be vindicated; to triumph despite predicted failure; to find success after defeat or setback.

Last updated August 10, 2026