laughs off

verb

present tense third-person singular of laugh off
as in shrugs off

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughs off
  1. shrugs off
  2. plays down
  3. minimizes
  4. discounts
  5. underrates
Verb
  • Turkey’s government insists its courts are independent as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shrugs off European rulings, a stance that has already fueled a diplomatic clash with Western ambassadors over Kavala’s detention.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The team shrugs off criticism that the end result was overbudget and overdue.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 20 June 2026
Definition of shrugs off
Verb
  • If any lingering question of home-court advantage persisted, it was made crystal clear in the final 30 seconds who had the biggest backing, as Barclays erupted in celebration of the Liberty’s game-winning plays down the stretch.
    — Annie Costabile, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Wang plays down the potential for renegade robots to wreak havoc.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 July 2026
Definition of plays down
Verb
  • In order to keep playing shows these past few years, Frampton has devoted himself to an intensive workout regime that minimizes the impact of IBM.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Spreading the drawdown across multiple stable caverns at all four storage sites minimizes sudden pressure drops and fluid turbulence.
    — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimizes
Verb
  • Starz’s current promo discounts a subscription to $6/month for your first three months.
    — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 27 July 2026
  • The Adidas Back to School Sale is happening now and discounts items by up to 50 percent off — no promo code necessary.
    — Tim Chan, Footwear News, 25 July 2026
Definition of discounts
Verb
  • To pretend otherwise, to act as if survival in these conditions is simply beyond this group, underrates them but is fundamentally far too kind to them.
    — Ben Jones, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of underrates
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

laughs (at)
laughs off
laughter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laughs off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughs%20off. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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