Meaning & use
laughingstock
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person or thing that many people laugh at and make fun of, often publicly and repeatedly.
Grammar: Countable, but usually used with 'the' and followed by 'of' plus a group: 'the laughingstock of the school'.
Patterns
- the laughingstock of something
- become a laughingstock
- make someone a laughingstock
After his embarrassing mistake on live TV, he became the laughingstock of the country.
The company's failed product made it the laughingstock of the tech industry.
She was afraid of being the laughingstock of her class if she answered wrong.
Word forms
| plural | laughingstocks |
|---|
Common combinations
- become a laughingstock
- If he wears that costume, he'll become a laughingstock.
- the laughingstock of the office
- His silly prank made him the laughingstock of the office.
- make someone a laughingstock
- Don't make me a laughingstock in front of my friends.
Synonyms and how they differ
- butt
- Butt (as in 'the butt of jokes') is similar but often used in the phrase 'butt of jokes'; laughingstock emphasizes widespread public mockery.
- figure of fun
- Figure of fun is slightly more formal and less harsh than laughingstock; it can suggest playful teasing rather than cruel ridicule.
Commonly confused: laughingstock or laughing stock?
laughingstock vs laughing stock
The correct spelling is one word, 'laughingstock'. Writing it as two words is a common mistake.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The phrase is 'the laughingstock of [a group]', so option An is correct. Option B uses 'for' instead of 'of'; option C omits 'the'; option D uses 'in' instead of 'of'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “laughingstock”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.