have the last laugh
To be vindicated; to triumph despite predicted failure; to find success after defeat or setback.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“They doubted me, but I had the last laugh.”
“After everyone said his business would fail, he had the last laugh when it became a huge success.”
“Though his rivals mocked his unconventional methods for years, he ultimately had the last laugh when his discovery changed the entire industry.”
- 01
barrel of laughs
A great amount of enjoyment or entertainment, or something or someone that provides this.
- 02
breathe one's last
To die.
- 03
bundle of laughs
Something or someone very funny or fun.
- 04
burst out laughing
To start laughing suddenly and intensely.
- 05
cobbler, keep to your last
One should not criticise matters outside one's field of expertise; one should mind one's business.
- 06
dead last
Finishing in last place in a competition or ranking, often by a considerable margin to the next to last place finisher or after an exceptionally poor showing or season.
- 07
draw one's last breath
To die.
- 08
enough to make a cat laugh
Very outlandish or outrageous.
Last updated August 10, 2026