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
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Bauers clearly hit the base square in the middle, and the call was quickly overturned, leading to laughs from both managers, the Rays’ Kevin Cash and the Brewers’ Pat Murphy.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
On Broadway, Leon gets the bad laughs.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Wiseman said to hoots from the crowd of media gathered at the site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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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
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The junior left-hander, who is committed to TCU, celebrated just about every out with exuberance Tuesday, letting out loud screams and breaking out fist pumps after each strikeout.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
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Several husky owners echoed how quickly the screams can escalate.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Our nation had seen urban riots in 1965 and 1966.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
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This was only a portent of things to come — the protests were dwarfed by massive protests and riots against the regime in September 2022-2023, then the largest protests in December 2025 to January 2026.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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TikTok Reacts Viewers flooded the comments with theories and jokes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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On social media, make jokes that don’t follow logic or build toward a punch line, but rather rely on jump cuts and endless captions.—
Emily Menez,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knee-slappers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knee-slappers. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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