laughing stock
An object of ridicule, someone who is publicly ridiculed; the butt of a joke.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“If you wear that silly costume, you will be a laughing stock.”
“He avoids the stage because he hates being the laughing stock.”
“She feels like a laughing stock when her phone rings during quiet movies.”
“After his failed presentation, he became the laughing stock of the entire office for weeks.”
“The team worried that losing to such a weak opponent would make them the laughing stock of the local league.”
“When the expensive new bridge collapsed after one week, the construction company became a global laughing stock.”
“The chef was afraid that serving raw chicken would turn his restaurant into a laughing stock among food critics.”
“The politician feared that his public blunder would make him the laughing stock of the nation, effectively ending his career.”
From *laughing* + *stock*, in the sense of a source, supply, or target. The construction is a cognate of the similarly formed *whipping-stock* and *jesting-stock*, positioning the object of ridicule as the primary material from which the amusement is drawn.
- 01
barrel of laughs
A great amount of enjoyment or entertainment, or something or someone that provides this.
- 02
bundle of laughs
Something or someone very funny or fun.
- 03
burst out laughing
To start laughing suddenly and intensely.
- 04
enough to make a cat laugh
Very outlandish or outrageous.
- 05
have a laugh
To joke; kid around.
- 06
have the last laugh
To be vindicated; to triumph despite predicted failure; to find success after defeat or setback.
- 07
laugh a minute
A funny thing or person.
- 08
laugh all the way to the bank
To make a large income easily, especially at the expense of others or by doing something that lacks significant merit or effort.
Last updated August 10, 2026