to laugh softly
- phrasal verb
- /læf ˈsɔftli/
- After hearing the funny story, he laughed softly, not wanting to disturb anyone nearby.
- laughed softly and shook
- laughed softly, saying
- heard her laugh softly
Examples
-
"Is there something I should know about you, Colonel Thorn?" He laughed softly, almost against his will.
Fiction book (1996) -
So what was the attraction between them?" She laughed softly.
Fiction book (1995) -
Okay. "Ray laughed softly and she opened her eyes, looking up at him.
Fiction book (1999) -
And we all kind of laughed, but softly, between our fingers.
Fiction book (1991) -
Graham lay back and, after a moment, laughed softly to himself.
Fiction book (1999) -
By whose standards? the rebellious little voice in her head said, and then laughed softly.
Fiction book (1995) -
Happy because he was allowing me this disrespect, I laughed softly.
Fiction book (2002) -
Yvonne laughs softly and says, "I'll tell you whether I can accept tomorrow morning at the conference."
Fiction book (1999) -
Shaking her head, she laughed softly and muttered.
Fiction book (2000) -
"You don't think Mandy'll cause a problem?" Randolph laughed softly in the darkness.
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
To laugh quietly to yourself when something is slightly funny
To laugh quietly with pleasure, often with a small snort
To laugh in a short nervous way at something slightly funny or awkward
How Loud
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to laugh in a quiet or restrained manner' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'laugh' (to produce sounds of amusement) with the adverb 'softly' (in a quiet manner); the adverb straightforwardly modifies the verb. This verb+adverb compositional pattern is common in English (and in many other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE’s meaning.
Etymology
Laugh softly may come from the image of someone giving a small, gentle laugh and making it softly so they do not disturb others. So, it means 'to laugh in a quiet or restrained manner'.