laugh line
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of laugh line
First recorded in 1925–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By the time he says it, it’s a laugh line.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
The first laugh line of this National League Division Series came on Friday afternoon, when San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt was asked how his club planned to attack Shohei Ohtani.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2024
Harrison Ford’s character Indiana Jones was known for hating snakes, often providing a laugh line in the action movies, but the actor says he doesn’t mind them.
From Washington Times • Aug. 16, 2023
A laugh line, sure, but that bit about the fear of the Scarlet A?
From New York Times • May 11, 2022
Its—her face had split at a laugh line.
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
