laughter
n. uncountablen. the sound and physical movement you make when you find something funny. It is a natural way to show you are happy or amused.
n. the physiological response to humor or joy, characterized by rhythmic vocal sounds and contractions of the diaphragm. Often used to describe the collective sound of a group being amused.
The room was filled with loud laughter.
Her infectious laughter always makes everyone in the office feel more relaxed during stressful meetings.
The sudden burst of laughter from the back of the theater momentarily distracted the actors, though they quickly regained their composure and continued the scene.
From Middle English laughter, laghter, laȝter, from Old English hleahtor (“laughter, jubilation, derision”), from Proto-Germanic hlahtraz (“laughter”), from Proto-Indo-European klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Cognate with German Gelächter (“laughter, hilarity, merriment”), Danish and Norwegian latter (“laughter”), Icelandic hlátur (“laughter”). More at laugh.
Typically uncountable when referring to the sound or act in general; occasionally used with 'a' to describe a specific, short instance.