laugh off

verb

laughed off; laughing off; laughs off
Synonyms of laugh offnext

transitive verb

: to minimize by treating as amusingly or absurdly trivial

Examples of laugh off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Players laughing off absurd questions. Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026 The singer laughed off the response in the largely friendly exchange, but some fans of the Brat star online read negatively into the exchange as putting pressure on a woman to have children, with some also pointing to the lack of research Bateman had done before having her on as a guest. Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026 At the time, liberalism’s leading intellectuals laughed off public annoyance at Obama’s lackluster performance, declaring that to expect big things from him was to believe—childishly, contemptibly—that the president was a kind of superhero. Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025 Later, the Knicks forward and the Magic star were seen laughing off the strange moment. Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 9 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for laugh off

Word History

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of laugh off was in 1676

Cite this Entry

“Laugh off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laugh%20off. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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