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Glite Dictionary
to hold back one's laughter

to hold back one's laughter

3.7
To stop yourself from making a sound when something is funny
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : contener la risa
  • During the serious meeting, John struggled to hold back his laughter at the ridiculous situation unfolding in front of him.

Examples

  • In the middle of the quiet library, she fought to hold back her laughter when her friend made a funny face.

  • The captain held back his laughter; he turned his head to the side and covered his mouth with one hand.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Taylor's lungs hurt as he holds back his laughter.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • As the comedian told the punchline, I had to hold back my laughter to avoid interrupting.

Synonyms

to hold back
vsto hold back one's laughter
108 4.2

Keep yourself from showing feelings or telling others

narrows this restraint to the urge to show amusement
to suppress
vsto hold back one's laughter
88 5.8

To hold back feelings or reactions

is focused on restraining the urge to show amusement rather than all feelings
to hold in
vsto hold back one's laughter
65 4.5

To stop yourself from showing strong feelings

is specifically about preventing amusement sounds or expressions
to stifle
vsto hold back one's laughter
49 5.3

To hold back a feeling or reaction so it does not show

applies this suffocating action specifically to amusement urges
to choke back
vsto hold back one's laughter
4 7.0

Stop yourself from showing a feeling when you want to cry

is the same restraint but focused on stopping amusement urges specifically
to keep back
vsto hold back one's laughter
4 5.1

Stop yourself from showing an emotion like tears or laughter

is the act of stopping oneself from showing amusement specifically
to choke down
vsto hold back one's laughter
2 7.7

To stop yourself from showing strong feelings like sadness or anger

is about holding back amusement urges rather than emotions generally
to bite one's lip
vsto hold back one's laughter
  • Informal
6.1

Pressing your lips together to keep from laughing or saying something

is the general act of stopping the urge to show amusement

Antonyms

laughter
641 1.0

The sound people make when they find something funny

How Restrained

to hold back one's laughter
3.7

Surface Forms

hold back one's laughter infinitive
holding back one's laughter present participle
holds back one's laughter third person singular
held back one's laughter past
held back one's laughter past participle

Morphology

hold + back + one + laughter

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'hold' (restrain) + 'back' (to keep in or suppress) + 'laughter' (the act/sound of laughing), so a learner who knows these words will understand it as suppressing laughter. The phrasal verb 'hold back' is a common, compositional pattern with cross-linguistic equivalents, supporting transparent status for B1 learners.

Etymology

Hold back one's laughter comes from the simple image of someone putting a hand over their mouth to hold back the sound of laughter so they do not laugh out loud. That's why it means 'to stop yourself from laughing'.