What does guffawing mean?
Guffawing means laughing loudly and without restraint, usually as a sudden reaction to something amusing. The word is especially evocative when a quiet moment erupts into a burst of hilarity: someone may burst into guffawing, guffaw with laughter, or be heard guffawing in another room. It is informal in tone but widely understood in British and American English. Compared with laughing, it emphasizes volume and abandon; compared with chuckling, which is usually quieter and more controlled, it suggests a much more forceful display of amusement. Guffawing is useful when a writer wants to convey not merely amusement but a sudden, contagious eruption of laughter. The base form guffaw is both a noun and a verb, while guffawing functions as its present-participle and gerund form.
verb (present participle)To laugh loudly and unrestrainedly, often suddenly and with great amusement.
- To laugh loudly, especially in a sudden or unrestrained way.
"The children were guffawing at the clown's exaggerated routine."
"The audience was guffawing at the comedian's exaggerated accent."
"She could hear her brother guffawing in the room next door."
A guffaw is laughter that has escaped all social restraint: sudden, noisy, and impossible to keep entirely under control.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does guffawing come from?
The word guffaw is English, but its precise origin is uncertain. It became established in English by the 19th century, and guffawing follows the ordinary present-participle and gerund pattern of the verb. Because the word's source cannot be identified confidently, no reliable cognate or parallel-language derivation should be assumed.
Related word forms
How guffawing is actually used
Informal and generally humorous. It often conveys a sudden, explosive burst of laughter rather than quiet amusement. The form is both a present participle and a gerund.
Easily confused with guffawing
Chuckling is a quiet or suppressed form of amusement, whereas guffawing is loud and unrestrained laughter.