# laugh out of court

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/laugh-out-of-court
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To dismiss as silly something presented with genuine conviction or treated seriously.

## Examples

- The board laughed his ridiculous idea out of court.
- When the inventor presented his plan for a flying car, the investors laughed him out of court.
- The committee dismissed the proposal as entirely impractical and effectively laughed the entire project out of court before the presentation even concluded.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.