laugh

Compared meaning: laughing, or a laugh (noun/verb).

比较义项：笑，指因开心、觉得好笑等而发出声音（laugh、giggle、snigger 为动词，chuckle 在此为名词）。

• laugh 本词

  The general, neutral word for laughing; can be loud, soft, or any length, and works as both a verb and a noun, unlike the other three, which describe one specific, usually quieter manner of laughing.

  这是表示“笑”最普通、中性的词，笑声可以是响亮的、轻声的或任意长度，而且既可作动词也可作名词；其他三个词都描述一种特定的、通常较轻的笑的方式。

  The joke made everyone at the table laugh loudly.

  这个笑话让桌边所有人都大声笑了起来。

• chuckle

  A quiet, low laugh, often suppressed or done privately to oneself, showing mild amusement; here used as a noun ('a chuckle'), though the word also works as a verb.

  指一种小声、低沉的笑，往往是压抑的或只对自己发出的，表示轻微的好笑；这里用作名词（“a chuckle”，一次轻笑），不过该词也可作动词使用。

  He gave a quiet chuckle after hearing the funny joke.

  听到这个好笑的笑话后，他轻声笑了一下。

• giggle

  A repeated, high-pitched, often hard-to-control laugh, typically linked to children, nervousness, or something silly; it usually comes in short bursts rather than one single sound.

  指一种反复、音调较高、常常难以控制的笑，通常与儿童、紧张情绪或滑稽的事有关；通常是一连串短促的笑声，而不是单独一声笑。

  The baby began to giggle when her father made a funny face.

  当爸爸做了个滑稽的表情时，宝宝开始咯咯地笑。

• snigger

  A quiet, sly laugh aimed at someone or something, showing mockery or disrespect rather than simple amusement; it is often held back so others do not notice.

  指一种小声、狡黠的笑，针对某人或某事，带有嘲笑或不礼貌的意味，而不只是单纯觉得好笑；通常是压抑着不让别人注意到。

  The students tried not to snigger during the boring lecture.

  学生们在这场无聊的讲座中努力忍住不窃笑。

Laugh, chuckle, giggle, and snigger all relate to laughing. Laugh is general and neutral, used as noun or verb. Chuckle, a noun here, means a quiet, low laugh. Giggle means a repeated, high-pitched laugh linked to children. Snigger means a quiet, sly laugh showing mockery.

这几个词都表示“笑”，但音量、方式和态度不同：laugh 是最普通、中性的说法，chuckle 指小声、含蓄的笑，giggle 指孩子气、断断续续的傻笑，snigger 则带有嘲笑、不礼貌的意味。这里不比较 chuckle 作动词（如 he chuckled）的用法，只比较其作名词“一次轻笑”的意思。

Compared meaning: laughing, the sound of laughing (noun).

比较义项：笑，笑声（名词）。

• laugh 本词

  Laugh is usually a countable noun for one instance of laughing (a laugh, two laughs), often paired with 'have/give a laugh'; it can also be a verb, not compared here.

  laugh 通常是可数名词，指一次具体的笑（a laugh，two laughs），常与 have/give a laugh 搭配；它也可作动词“笑”，但此处不作比较。

  She let out a nervous laugh before answering the difficult question.

  在回答那个难题之前，她发出了一声紧张的笑。

• laughter

  Laughter is an uncountable noun describing the general sound or activity of laughing, often sustained or coming from a group, and has no verb form.

  laughter 是不可数名词，指笑声这一整体的声音或行为，往往是持续的或来自一群人，且没有动词形式。

  Their laughter filled the room during the funny movie.

  在看那部搞笑电影时，他们的笑声传遍了整个房间。

Laugh and laughter both name laughing, but laugh is usually a countable noun for one instance, as in 'a laugh' or 'have a laugh'. Laughter is uncountable, describing the general sound or activity of laughing, often from a group. Laugh's verb use is not compared.

这两个词都表示“笑”或“笑声”这一义项，容易混淆，但用法不同：laugh 多作可数名词，指一次具体的笑或笑的动作；laughter 是不可数名词，指持续的、整体的笑声。此处不比较 laugh 作动词“笑”的用法。