: a loud or boisterous burst of laughter
Her remark sparked guffaws around the room.
Synonyms
Examples of guffaw in a Sentence
managed to keep a straight face for a minute before he let loose with a loud guffaw
Recent Examples on the Web
For the schadenfreude crowd in San Diego, the Chargers’ seventh season since relocation has served up enough tasty pretzels, brews and guffaws to simulate the festive atmosphere of a German beer garden.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Dec. 2023
Your wisdom, humor, loyalty, cooking skills, guffaws, and ice cubes in rose get me through my life.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2023
Only the old man responded, with a hearty Santa Claus guffaw.
—Hazlitt, 10 May 2023
Those giggles and guffaws can seem like just silly throwaways.
—Janet M. Gibson, CNN, 1 Apr. 2023
Rodriguez says as the crowd gasps and guffaws in disbelief.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 13 Mar. 2023
The President’s remark then was met with guffaws from the Republican side of the House Chamber, but no one present in Houston was laughing at Granholm’s admission the industry would be needed for far longer than another 10 years or so.
—David Blackmon, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
Nothing about his occasional guffaws and affinity for going on tangents about passion points emit restless or preoccupied energy.
—Khari Nixon, SPIN, 20 Feb. 2023
While the general public may roll their eyes and guffaw at the news that a cabal of crackpot collectors actually competed for the right to own a vampire-disposal unit, the subject is by no means amusing to those in the preternatural collectibles industry.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 30 July 2022
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Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Dec. 2023
Your wisdom, humor, loyalty, cooking skills, guffaws, and ice cubes in rose get me through my life.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2023
Only the old man responded, with a hearty Santa Claus guffaw.
—Hazlitt, 10 May 2023
Those giggles and guffaws can seem like just silly throwaways.
—Janet M. Gibson, CNN, 1 Apr. 2023
Rodriguez says as the crowd gasps and guffaws in disbelief.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 13 Mar. 2023
The President’s remark then was met with guffaws from the Republican side of the House Chamber, but no one present in Houston was laughing at Granholm’s admission the industry would be needed for far longer than another 10 years or so.
—David Blackmon, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
Nothing about his occasional guffaws and affinity for going on tangents about passion points emit restless or preoccupied energy.
—Khari Nixon, SPIN, 20 Feb. 2023
While the general public may roll their eyes and guffaw at the news that a cabal of crackpot collectors actually competed for the right to own a vampire-disposal unit, the subject is by no means amusing to those in the preternatural collectibles industry.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 30 July 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guffaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
imitative
First Known Use
1720, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near guffaw
Cite this Entry
“Guffaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guffaw. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on guffaw
Nglish: Translation of guffaw for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of guffaw for Arabic Speakers
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