as in laughs
someone or something that is very funny
the movie is a real knee-slapper if you are a fan of lowbrow humor
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Recent Examples of knee-slappers
On dinner tables frequented by Brussels sprouts, meatloaf is the well-meaning uncle whose knee-slappers are beloved, but not particularly hip.
—
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knee-slappers
Noun
-
The tech is terrifying, but it’s treated matter-of-factly, played for barked laughs.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
How important to you is comedy and releasing tension with laughs?—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Wiseman said to hoots from the crowd of media gathered at the site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Owl hoots are most effective at striking up turkeys when owls are naturally active, which is around dawn and dusk.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The hours and hours of screams, only silenced when victims were finally murdered.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
14 May 2026
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But there were no loud gasps or terrified screams during the screening.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Despite it only having been a decade since the Los Angeles riots, which had been triggered by the acquittal of four white cops who’d beaten Black motorist Rodney King on video, Keith was a proud LAPD cop.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Full political violence insurance can cover property damage and business interruption tied to terrorism, sabotage, riots, strikes, civil commotion, insurrection, rebellion, mutiny, coup and war.—
Contessa Brewer,Dawn Giel,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
Noun
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The jokes landed because the admiration underneath them was unmistakable.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
18 May 2026
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Last week’s The Roast of Kevin Hart remains at #2 as clips of the jokes keep going viral on social media.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knee-slappers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knee-slappers. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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