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Prepositions after verbs

Laugh at, with, about, in, or for

Laugh combines with several prepositions, and each one expresses a different relationship.

Quick answer

Which prepositions are common after laugh?

Laugh at means make fun of or react humorously to something. Laugh with means share laughter together. Laugh about means discuss something humorously. Laugh in and laugh for are uncommon as fixed combinations after laugh.

They laughed at the joke.
We laughed with our friends.
She can now laugh about the mistake.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
laugh at + person/thing

Reacting with amusement or ridicule

Use laugh at for jokes, mistakes, or people.

Everyone laughed at his impression.
Do not laugh at others.
2
laugh with + person

Sharing amusement together

Use laugh with for friendly shared laughter.

I love to laugh with my cousins.
She laughed with the audience.
3
laugh about + topic

Talking humorously about something

Use laugh about for situations remembered humorously.

They still laugh about that trip.
We can laugh about it now.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
laugh at
The children laughed at the clown.
react with amusement or ridicule
laugh with
She laughed with her colleagues.
share laughter together
laugh about
We laughed about the misunderstanding.
discuss something humorously
laugh in
He laughed in the meeting.
in introduces location, not a fixed verb pattern
laugh for
They laughed for hours.
for introduces duration

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using laugh at for friendly shared humour

Laugh at can sound mocking.

✕ I like laughing at my friends during dinner. ✓ I like laughing with my friends during dinner.

Treating in as a fixed combination

In usually shows location only.

✕ She laughed in his joke. ✓ She laughed at his joke.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. We all laughed ___ the comedian.
2. She laughed ___ me, not at me.
3. Now we can laugh ___ the situation.

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Frequently asked questions

Is laugh at always negative?

No. You can laugh at a joke or funny situation without mocking anyone.

Can laugh with show friendship?

Yes. It often suggests warmth and shared enjoyment.

Why is laugh for different?

For usually introduces duration, as in laughed for an hour.

label, as, label, with lag behind, in, from, on or by? "land on" or "land in"? languish in, at, on, for or near? last for, from, until, in or through? "latch onto" or "latch on"? launch in, by, on, at or into? "lay on" or "lay in"? lead to, by, up, in or from? "leak to" or "leak from"? lean on, towards, against, toward or to? "leap to", "leap into" or "leap from"?

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