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to convulse with laughter

to convulse with laughter

4.5
Laugh so hard that your body shakes
  • phrasal verb
  • /kənˈvəlz wɪð ˈlæftər/
translation icon : convulsionar de risa

Examples

  • Tommy and Booker convulsed with laughter.

    Academic text (2008)
  • "No judge in this town!" She let the elastic go, fell back so she was half-lying on the bench, and convulsed with laughter, clutching her bare midriff.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Tommy and Booker convulsed with laughter after hearing the hilarious joke.

  • We convulsed with laughter when the comedian fell off the stage in the middle of his act.

  • The children convulsed with laughter as they watched the funny movie together.

Synonyms

to crack up
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
18 3.5

To laugh loudly and without control

is the same loss of control but emphasises actual bodily shaking
to howl
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
15 3.4

Laugh loudly and without control

is specifically whole-body trembling rather than only loud vocal expression
to break up
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
9 3.0

Start laughing very hard and cannot stop

involves violent body shaking rather than only starting to laugh loudly
to convulse
vsto convulse with laughter
8 7.8

Shake hard and without control because of illness, a strong feeling, or a hit

is specifically caused by extreme laughter rather than any force or illness
to burst out laughing
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
8 2.4

To suddenly start laughing loudly and not be able to stop

is more about prolonged body shaking than a sudden start of laughter
to laugh my head off
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
3 5.1

To make loud, long sounds because something is very funny

involves the body shaking violently rather than just prolonged loud laughter
to yuk
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
1 8.6

To laugh loudly in a silly, noisy way

involves uncontrollable body shaking rather than just playful loudness
to laugh one's head off
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
1 3.5

To make loud sounds you cannot stop because something is very funny

adds the idea of intense bodily shaking rather than only loudness
to rolf
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Slang
1 9.7

To laugh very hard at something funny online

is physical whole-body shaking rather than a mainly online or brief laugh
to split one's sides
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
1 5.6

To laugh very hard

is real body shaking rather than a figurative sense of splitting sides
to roll about in laughter
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
3.3

Feel so amused that you fall over and move on the floor

is whole-body shaking rather than only rolling or writhing
to gag with laughter
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
6.5

To laugh so hard you almost choke

is actual body shaking rather than mainly a choking sensation
to ROFL
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Slang
8.8

To laugh very hard, often at something funny online

is an actual physical shaking response rather than a written reaction
to bellylaugh
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Informal
5.2

Laugh loudly and deeply, making your stomach move

is more extreme, causing the whole body to shake uncontrollably
to cachinnate
vsto convulse with laughter
  • Archaic
9.9

To laugh loudly and without control

is louder and adds violent whole-body shaking rather than mere loudness
to yock
vsto convulse with laughter
  • UK
9.9

To laugh loudly because something is very funny

is specifically full-body shaking rather than general loud enjoyment

Antonyms

To stop yourself from making a sound when something is funny

How Hard

to convulse with laughter
4.5
to roar
17 2.4
big laugh
10 2.5
to laugh
1.0
to chuckle
237 2.0
to giggle
153 1.0

Surface Forms

convulsed with laughter past participle
convulsing with laughter present participle
convulses with laughter third person singular

Morphology

convulse + with + laughter

The meaning is directly compositional: 'convulse' = shake violently, combined with 'with laughter' clearly describes shaking caused by laughing. This literal cause-effect construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Convulse with laughter gives a clear picture: the word convulse means to shake or jerk and laughter is what happens when you laugh. So, the phrase means 'to laugh so hard that your body shakes uncontrollably'.