Here’s the only collection of uproarious laugh idioms you’ll need!
Laughter is a universal language, and English is no exception when it comes to expressing humor through colorful phrases and sayings. In this compilation, we explore a range of sayings about laughing that will leave you ‘in stitches’.
From belly laughs to chuckles, these expressions capture the joyous essence of laughter. So get ready to giggle and discover the amusing world of English laugh sayings!
Laugh idioms
Rolling on the floor laughing
The first of our idioms about laughing is often used as an abbreviation in text messages. ROFL stands for rolling on the floor laughing.
It’s possible you find something so funny that it makes you laugh uncontrollably, to the point where you really do roll on the floor. But more often, this laugh idiom is used as an exaggeration, simply meaning that something made you laugh.
“When my friend told the hilarious joke, I was rolling on the floor laughing. It was absolutely priceless!”
Laugh out loud
Here’s another saying about laughing that might be better known by its shortened form: LOL. To laugh out loud is to laugh in an audible way (as opposed to just silently laughing to yourself).
“This book made me laugh out loud several times in just the first chapter.”
Again, the abbreviation is often just used as a response to say that something is funny, whether or not it made you laugh.
Split your sides with laughter
When something is so funny that it feels like your sides might split open from excessive laughter, you could say that you were splitting your sides with laughter.
“The comedy show was so hilarious that the audience were splitting their sides with laughter.”
In the same way, something this funny can be described as side-splitting.
“Shame you couldn’t make it to the office party. Roy’s dance moves were side-splitting.”
Laughing your head off
Most of these laugh sayings make great use of exaggeration! To laugh your head off is to laugh loudly and with great enthusiasm.
It’s a funny idiom to imagine, but fortunately, your head stays intact throughout the hilarity.
“As soon as I saw the video, I started laughing my head off. It was the funniest thing I had seen in a long time!”
Just remember that this expression, like others, can be used sarcastically to show that you actually didn’t find something funny at all.
Burst out laughing
One of the most common sayings about laughing is burst out laughing. This occurs when you suddenly start laughing loudly and unexpectedly.
“The comedian’s witty punchline caught me off guard, and I burst out laughing along with the rest of the audience.”
Fit to burst
Have you ever laughed uncontrollably or to the point of physical discomfort? In that case, you might have been fit to burst.
“The comedian’s hilarious stand-up routine had me fit to burst!”
Note that this can be used for other emotions, for example as an anger idiom or sadness idiom. We do this by saying ‘fit to burst with…’ and adding the emotion. To avoid any confusion, you can say fit to burst with laughter if it’s not clear from the context.
Crack up
Crack up is another way to describe laughing in a loud or uncontrollable way. This phrasal verb can be separable or inseparable, meaning you sometimes place a pronoun between the two words.
“My friend’s hilarious imitation of our teacher had me cracking up in the middle of class. It was hard to keep a straight face!”
“Felicity said I crack her up and I’m not sure whether to take it as a compliment.”
Why not explore some more idioms about friendship and the fun you can have together?
Falling about laughing
Did you realize there were so many laugh idioms to highlight uncontrollable moments of hilarity?
When you experience something hilarious and can’t help but laugh uncontrollably, you could say you are falling about laughing.
“The silly antics of the clown had the entire crowd falling about laughing. It was a performance filled with pure joy!”
Many of these sayings about laughing are examples of hyperbole. This is when we use exaggeration to emphasize a point, but it’s not supposed to be taken literally.
Laughing up your sleeve
There are times when laughing out loud isn’t appropriate. People who are laughing up their sleeves are trying to conceal their laughter or amusement, often with a sense of smugness or secret delight.
“While my sister was scolding me, I couldn’t help but think of a funny joke, and I was silently laughing up my sleeve.”
In stitches
Having a stitch in your side is not a good or funny thing. This is a physical pain in your side that occurs from excessive physical exertion, especially running.
However, you can also get this feeling when you laugh too hard – in which case we would say you are in stitches.
“The comedy show had me in stitches from start to finish. The jokes were so funny, my sides ached by the end of it!”
Again, you can use this as an exaggeration to say that you found something very amusing.
Doubled over
Here’s another laugh idiom that can also refer to pain. Someone who is doubled over is bent over at the waist, whether from crying or laughing.
You can say doubled over in laughter to avoid any confusion.
“When I saw Joe, I wasn’t sure if he was doubled over in laughter or in pain.”
“I laughed so hard at that meme I doubled over!”
As you can see in the second example sentence above, this expression can be used as a phrasal verb as well as an adjective phrase.
Crying with laughter
Crying with laughter is not just a fun saying about laughing, but also a real physical reaction. Sometimes you can be laughing so hard that tears start streaming down your face.
“My friend’s hilarious story had me crying with laughter. I couldn’t catch my breath!”
We have more idioms for crying here, although most of them refer to tears of sadness, not joy.
Laugh like a drain
People who laugh very loudly or boisterously, often with a distinctive sound, are said to be laughing like a drain.
“When I told my dad the story, he started laughing like a drain.”
Infections laughter
Do you ever find that sometimes once one person in a group starts laughing, the laughter spreads to everyone else? This is what we call infectious laughter.
“His infectious laughter never fails to raise the mood.”
If you’re enjoying these idioms about laughing, why not check out some expressions about happiness and enjoyment too?
More sayings about laughing
Laugh like a hyena
Have you ever heard a hyena laughing? It is a loud and raucous sound, and very distinctive. People who laugh in a unique, noisy, perhaps unpleasant way could be described as laughing like a hyena.
“When my friend recounted her embarrassing moment, we all started laughing like hyenas.”
We love to liken ourselves to animals in English. You can find some more animal idioms here.
Can’t stop laughing
When something is so amusing that it becomes challenging to control your laughter, you might say that you can’t stop laughing.
“The comedian’s clever one-liners were so funny that I couldn’t stop laughing!”
Bust a gut
Sometimes laughing a lot can physically cause your stomach area to hurt. So when you laugh extremely hard, to the point where it feels like your stomach muscles might rupture, you can joke that you bust a gut.
“Class today was so hilarious that everyone was busting a gut.”
This saying can be expanded to bust a gut laughing. Note that it can also refer to hard physical exertion, so be careful with the context.
Laughing all the way to the bank
If you’re laughing all the way to the bank you have achieved financial success. You may also be laughing at others who didn’t believe in you, or who think that you have done something unfair for financial gain.
“After the immense success of his new business, he was laughing all the way to the bank.”
This is just one of many money idioms you can use in English.
Laughing on the inside
Have you ever found something funny but tried to conceal your amusement? If so, you were laughing on the inside.
Whether it’s because laughing would be inappropriate, or because you just don’t want to show your emotions, this is the act of hiding your laughter
“His clever wordplay had me laughing on the inside, even though I maintained a serious expression.”
Laughter is the best medicine
When people say that laughter is the best medicine, they are suggesting that laughing a lot can help improve your physical or mental state of health.
“Whenever I’m feeling down, I watch a comedy movie. Laughter is the best medicine, after all.”
More generally, this health idiom means that staying positive can help you overcome difficulties.
Laugh till you cry
A lot of these laugh idioms are alike in meaning, and this one is similar to ‘crying with laughter’.
To laugh till you cry is to laugh for so long or so intensely that tears start flowing.
“The hilarious comedy sketch had me laughing till I cried. It was a moment of pure comedic brilliance!”
A variation of this is laugh till it hurts.
Laugh in the face of adversity/danger
To laugh in the face of adversity or danger is to respond to difficult or challenging situations with humor and resilience.
“Despite facing numerous obstacles, she never lost her sense of humor. She continued laughing in the face of adversity, proving her strength.”
There are some more idioms about bad things happening that might help you describe situations like this.
Laughter truly is the best medicine, and what better way to celebrate its contagious nature than through these delightful laugh idioms?
Whether you’re looking to add some humour to your conversations or simply enjoy the playfulness of language, go ahead, share a smile, and practice using these sayings about laughing today.
