guffaw

noun
/ɡəˈfɔː/UK/ɡəˈfɔ/US/ɡəˈfɑ/

Etymology

Early 18th century, originally Scots, probably onomatopoeic.

Definitions

  1. A boisterous laugh.

    • On opening the little door, two hairy monsters flew at my throat, bearing me down, and extinguishing the light; while a mingled guffaw from Heathcliff and Hareton put the copestone on my rage and humiliation.
    • He walked to the edge and they heard his hoarse guffaw of laughter as the arrows clanged and clattered against his impenetrable mail.
    • He heaved up with a sulfurous curse, braced his legs and glared about him, with a burst of coarse guffaws in his ears and the reek of unwashed bodies in his nostrils.
  2. To laugh boisterously.

    • He guffawed at his adversaries.
    • Peter, on the contrary, threw back his head and guffawed thunderously.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for guffaw. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA