laugh off
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To respond to (a negative situation) lightheartedly, as though it were a joke.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Phản ứng với một tình huống tiêu cực một cách nhẹ nhàng
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
[…] The landowner, Gennaro Matrone, had a hunch that these were the remains of Pliny the Elder (the Younger wrote of his uncle’s body lying as if asleep on the day after the eruption), but his theory was laughed off in the press.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “laugh off” mean?
To respond to (a negative situation) lightheartedly, as though it were a joke.
Is “laugh off” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.