laugh at

laugh at (someone or something)

1. Literally, to react to someone or something with laughter. To my great relief, everyone laughed at my joke.
2. To ridicule or deride someone or something with laughter. Don't laugh at me, that was a serious suggestion!
3. To dismiss, scoff at, or express contempt for someone or something. She the kind of person who laughs at rules and thinks they're just meant to be broken. The whole world is laughing at our country right now because of the government's actions.
See also: laugh
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

laugh at someone or something

to chuckle or giggle loudly at someone or something, perhaps in ridicule. Thank goodness, the audience laughed at all my jokes. Don't laugh at me! I'm doing my best! Everyone laughed at the love scene because it was so badly done.
See also: laugh
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

laugh at

Treat lightly, scoff at. For example, He said the other children all laughed at his jacket, or They stopped laughing at his theory when it proved to be correct. [Late 1300s]
See also: laugh
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

laugh at

v.
1. To laugh in response to something intended to be humorous: I always laugh at that TV show.
2. To mock or make fun of someone or something: They laughed at me when I said I wanted to become an astronaut.
3. To treat someone or something lightly; scoff at someone or something: That daredevil laughs at danger.
See also: laugh
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • be/have done with somebody/something
  • be in line with (someone or something)
  • better of
  • (someone or something) promises well
  • begin with
  • begin with (someone or something)
  • bird has flown, the
  • beware of
  • beware of (someone or something)
  • be rough on (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
The "Don't Laugh at Me" project puts at your fingertips important facilitation guidelines to create an anti-bias camp: ways to foster inclusion, provide appropriate materials, create diverse groups, acknowledge differences, prevent exclusion, extend thinking, empower children, meet with parents, and avoid activities that exclude.
"Don't Laugh at Me" Coming to Camps
I know that the Blahs are not given to just anyone, and I couldn't believe that anyone could know how blah I was feeling." She went on to credit her ability to laugh at that time for baby John's resulting happy demeanor.
Good health through good humor
An example of incongruity in physical humour can be seen in the famous play and television series known as "The Odd Couple." People automatically laugh at this situation that shows two men forced to live as roommates with one another - one of them being obsessively neat and the other being a total slob.
Why do we laugh?
Don't laugh at the punch line; ask the joker to explain to you what's funny.
Was that really funny?: the politics of humor
4 When colleagues are stressed out, encourage them to laugh at the situation.
Laughter is the best medicine; Stay happy with a giggle
"Audiences go from laughing at Henrietta to laughing at the people who laugh at Henrietta," says Tod Williams, the movie's writer and director, "so I've been relieved by that."
Embrace the dark side
You have no reason to laugh so just stop." At camp, I had difficulty understanding that it was all right to take a bite of food, make a comment, laugh at someone's response, and then talk some more.
Confessions of a Pop-Up Queen
Babies start to smile or laugh at between four weeks and ten weeks old.
GRIN 'N' TONIC; MIRROR HEALTH on how smiling beats the blues
And all these people who claim to be so damned different, they respond to the same thing; they laugh at the same jokes, cry at the same instants, and show how totally entrapped by our humanity we all are.
The Nathan Heard interviews
"We can try to stop laughing since it can get us into trouble when we laugh at the wrong time," Provine says.
Uncontrollable chuckles 'can signal underlying illnesses'
Young children, constantly surprised by their world, tend to laugh at toilet humour while teenagers deal with their awkwardness by laughing at things like sex and authority figures.
Health: Dr FORSTER
"People in Somerset will laugh at the same things they'll laugh at in Mid Wales.
How tickled Ken is to be questioned; COMEDY: Liverpool joker will use his 'giggle map' in Wrexham Science Festival
Researchers also found that the saying should be SHE who laughs last, laughs longest - as women laugh at jokes 15 seconds longer than men.
Bob's just not funny any more; (..but then again when was he?)
(13) Did her mother laugh at her or at God--or at God within her?
Reactions of a "highly-strung girl": psychology and dramatic representation in Angelina W. Grimke's 'Rachel.' (Women's Culture Issue)
ONCE upon a time, Norman Wisdom sang Don't Laugh At Me 'Cos I'm A Fool.
TOM BROWN THE VOICE OF AUTHORITY : FOOL TIME; Blow the whistle on Beeb's comedy flops