Laughter is one of the best parts of being human, and sometimes, words alone just don’t do the trick. That’s where idioms come in—funny, clever phrases that help us express humor in imaginative and unexpected ways. These expressions often sound strange at first, but once you understand them, they make conversations brighter, wittier, and a whole lot more fun.
Funny idioms don’t just make people laugh—they also help you connect with others, lighten serious situations, and even break the ice in awkward moments. Whether you’re joking with friends, writing a story, or just trying to be more expressive, these silly sayings can make you sound clever and confident.
In this article, you’ll find 50 idioms that are all about being funny, making people laugh, or describing something humorous in a creative way. You’ll learn what they mean, see how to use them in real life, and discover fun ways to say the same thing. Let’s jump into these hilarious phrases that will add some serious charm to your everyday talk!
Idioms for Funny
1. Laugh your head off
Meaning: To laugh a lot and very loudly.
In a Sentence: I watched that comedy last night and laughed my head off the entire time.
Other Ways to Say: Crack up, Burst out laughing
2. Rolling in the aisles
Meaning: Laughing so hard that it feels uncontrollable.
In a Sentence: The audience was rolling in the aisles during the comedian’s performance.
Other Ways to Say: Laughing wildly, Dying of laughter
3. In stitches
Meaning: Laughing so much that it almost hurts.
In a Sentence: Her funny story had us all in stitches for ten minutes straight.
Other Ways to Say: Can’t stop laughing, Hysterical
4. A barrel of laughs
Meaning: Someone or something that’s very funny or entertaining.
In a Sentence: That family reunion was a barrel of laughs from beginning to end.
Other Ways to Say: Tons of fun, Very amusing
5. Crack someone up
Meaning: To make someone laugh a lot.
In a Sentence: His impressions of teachers always crack me up.
Other Ways to Say: Make laugh, Tickle someone’s funny bone
6. Burst out laughing
Meaning: To suddenly start laughing loudly.
In a Sentence: I burst out laughing when he slipped on the banana peel like in cartoons.
Other Ways to Say: Laugh suddenly, Explode with laughter
7. Laugh up your sleeve
Meaning: To secretly laugh at someone or something.
In a Sentence: She was laughing up her sleeve when her prank actually worked.
Other Ways to Say: Secretly amused, Quietly giggling
8. Not a laughing matter
Meaning: Something serious that shouldn’t be joked about.
In a Sentence: Failing your exams is not a laughing matter, even if you try to joke about it.
Other Ways to Say: Serious issue, Not funny
9. Joke’s on you
Meaning: When a prank or joke ends up embarrassing the person who tried to be funny.
In a Sentence: You thought you were pranking me, but the joke’s on you this time.
Other Ways to Say: Backfired prank, You got fooled instead
10. Funny bone
Meaning: The part of your sense of humor that gets triggered.
In a Sentence: That silly dance really hit my funny bone.
Other Ways to Say: Tickled my humor, Cracked me up
11. Be a hoot
Meaning: To be really funny or amusing.
In a Sentence: That new guy in class is a hoot—he always has us laughing.
Other Ways to Say: Really funny, A riot
12. Comic relief
Meaning: A funny break during a serious moment.
In a Sentence: His goofy joke gave us some comic relief during the stressful meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Light moment, Fun distraction
13. Split your sides
Meaning: To laugh so hard it feels like your sides might actually split.
In a Sentence: I nearly split my sides laughing at that viral cat video.
Other Ways to Say: Laugh uncontrollably, Double over with laughter
14. Laugh like a drain
Meaning: To laugh very loudly and in a not-so-polite way.
In a Sentence: He laughed like a drain at the awkward scene in the play.
Other Ways to Say: Laugh loudly, Roar with laughter
15. A knee-slapper
Meaning: A joke that’s extremely funny.
In a Sentence: That one-liner was a real knee-slapper—I almost choked on my drink.
Other Ways to Say: Hilarious joke, Side-splitter
16. Clown around
Meaning: To act silly or goofy, usually to make others laugh.
In a Sentence: Stop clowning around and finish your homework!
Other Ways to Say: Fool around, Act silly
17. Play a prank
Meaning: To trick someone in a playful way.
In a Sentence: We played a prank on the teacher by pretending to forget our homework.
Other Ways to Say: Trick someone, Pull a joke
18. Laugh all the way to the bank
Meaning: To make money or benefit from something others thought was silly.
In a Sentence: He turned his funny videos into a career and now laughs all the way to the bank.
Other Ways to Say: Profit while others mock, Earn from humor
19. A stand-up guy/girl
Meaning: A person who’s honest, dependable, and often has a good sense of humor.
In a Sentence: She’s a stand-up girl who can joke about anything without being rude.
Other Ways to Say: Good person, Fun and reliable
20. Deadpan humor
Meaning: Telling jokes with a straight face and no expression.
In a Sentence: His deadpan humor makes his jokes even funnier.
Other Ways to Say: Dry humor, Straight-faced jokes
21. Be the butt of the joke
Meaning: The person who is being made fun of in a joke.
In a Sentence: I was the butt of the joke when they showed my baby pictures in class.
Other Ways to Say: Target of the joke, Who the joke is about
22. Make a monkey out of someone
Meaning: To make someone look silly or foolish.
In a Sentence: He made a monkey out of me by tricking me with that fake text.
Other Ways to Say: Embarrass someone, Make someone look silly
23. Laughing stock
Meaning: A person everyone is laughing at.
In a Sentence: After tripping on stage, I became the laughing stock of the whole school.
Other Ways to Say: Someone who gets mocked, Joke to others
24. Pull a fast one
Meaning: To trick someone in a sneaky and funny way.
In a Sentence: He pulled a fast one by switching the salt and sugar jars.
Other Ways to Say: Trick, Fool playfully
25. Lighten the mood
Meaning: To make a serious or tense situation more relaxed or funny.
In a Sentence: I told a silly joke to lighten the mood during the awkward dinner.
Other Ways to Say: Ease tension, Cheer people up
26. Laugh your socks off
Meaning: To laugh so hard it feels like your socks might actually come off.
In a Sentence: I laughed my socks off watching that parody—it was just too good.
Other Ways to Say: Laugh like crazy, Completely lose it
27. Tickled pink
Meaning: Very amused or pleased about something funny.
In a Sentence: Grandma was tickled pink when we showed her the funny birthday card.
Other Ways to Say: Delighted, Amused
28. A riot
Meaning: A person or event that’s extremely funny or entertaining.
In a Sentence: That wedding speech was a total riot—we couldn’t stop laughing.
Other Ways to Say: Hilarious, Laugh-out-loud funny
29. Just for laughs
Meaning: Done to entertain or be funny, not serious.
In a Sentence: We pulled that prank just for laughs, no harm intended.
Other Ways to Say: For fun, As a joke
30. Be a card
Meaning: Someone who is naturally funny and full of jokes.
In a Sentence: Uncle Joe is a real card—always cracking people up at family dinners.
Other Ways to Say: A jokester, A comedian
31. Can’t help but laugh
Meaning: When something is so funny, laughing is impossible to resist.
In a Sentence: I couldn’t help but laugh at the dog wearing sunglasses.
Other Ways to Say: Uncontrollable laughter, Too funny
32. Have a laugh
Meaning: To joke around or not take something too seriously.
In a Sentence: Relax, we’re just having a laugh—it’s nothing serious.
Other Ways to Say: Joke around, Be playful
33. Laughing fit
Meaning: A sudden burst of uncontrollable laughter.
In a Sentence: I had a laughing fit during the serious part of the show and had to leave the room.
Other Ways to Say: Giggle attack, Burst of laughter
34. Burst into giggles
Meaning: To start laughing in a high-pitched or silly way.
In a Sentence: We burst into giggles when the waiter slipped but then stood up dancing.
Other Ways to Say: Start giggling, Break into laughter
35. Slapstick humor
Meaning: A style of comedy that uses physical actions and silly accidents.
In a Sentence: Classic cartoons are full of slapstick humor like pies in the face.
Other Ways to Say: Physical comedy, Goofy action
36. Be all jokes
Meaning: Someone who doesn’t take anything seriously and is always cracking jokes.
In a Sentence: He’s all jokes in class, but he’s actually pretty smart too.
Other Ways to Say: A joker, Always playing around
37. Knock-knock humor
Meaning: Silly and playful joke style that’s often shared with kids.
In a Sentence: My little brother loves telling knock-knock humor at dinner.
Other Ways to Say: Corny jokes, Family-style jokes
38. Play it for laughs
Meaning: To do something just to be funny, even if it’s a little over the top.
In a Sentence: He totally played it for laughs with that silly costume.
Other Ways to Say: Exaggerate for comedy, Overact for humor
39. Gag reel
Meaning: A collection of funny mistakes or bloopers, usually from movies or shows.
In a Sentence: The gag reel was even funnier than the movie itself.
Other Ways to Say: Blooper reel, Outtakes
40. Laugh riot
Meaning: A situation or person that causes nonstop laughter.
In a Sentence: That talent show was a laugh riot—every act was hilarious.
Other Ways to Say: Total comedy, Side-splitting fun
41. Comic timing
Meaning: The perfect moment to deliver a funny line.
In a Sentence: She has amazing comic timing—it makes every joke land just right.
Other Ways to Say: Perfect punchline delivery, Spot-on humor
42. Laugh off
Meaning: To not take something seriously and just laugh about it.
In a Sentence: When they teased him, he just laughed it off and kept going.
Other Ways to Say: Brush it off, Take it lightly
43. Pull faces
Meaning: To make funny expressions to entertain others.
In a Sentence: The baby laughed every time we pulled funny faces.
Other Ways to Say: Make silly faces, Goofy expressions
44. Act the fool
Meaning: To behave in a silly or ridiculous way on purpose.
In a Sentence: He acted the fool at the party just to get everyone laughing.
Other Ways to Say: Be goofy, Clown around
45. Laugh until you cry
Meaning: To laugh so hard that tears come out of your eyes.
In a Sentence: That joke was so hilarious I laughed until I cried.
Other Ways to Say: Laugh like crazy, Can’t stop laughing
46. Cut up
Meaning: Someone who’s always being silly and making people laugh.
In a Sentence: He’s such a cut-up, always making class more fun.
Other Ways to Say: Class clown, Big joker
47. Be full of jokes
Meaning: Always telling jokes or making humorous comments.
In a Sentence: You’re full of jokes today—what’s gotten into you?
Other Ways to Say: In a silly mood, All fun
48. Burst into laughter
Meaning: To suddenly start laughing out loud.
In a Sentence: When she tripped on her shoelace, we burst into laughter.
Other Ways to Say: Sudden laughter, Loud laugh
49. Giggle fest
Meaning: A situation where everyone is giggling nonstop.
In a Sentence: Our sleepover turned into a total giggle fest after midnight.
Other Ways to Say: Laugh marathon, Continuous giggling
50. Be a laugh a minute
Meaning: A person or situation that’s constantly funny.
In a Sentence: Hanging out with him is a laugh a minute—you never stop chuckling.
Other Ways to Say: Always funny, Constantly entertaining
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks:
- Her silly dance had the whole class ________ their heads off.
- That video was such a ________—we watched it five times.
- I tried to keep a straight face, but I burst into ________ during the serious scene.
- We were ________ in the aisles during the comedy sketch.
- He’s such a ________—he never stops joking.
- You could say the teacher has a good ________ bone—he even laughs at bad jokes.
- Stop ________ around and finish your homework already!
- The movie had some great ________ timing that made it even funnier.
- That prank was played just for ________—no one got hurt.
- The audience burst into ________ when the pie hit him in the face.
- I was the ________ of the joke after they tricked me with a fake quiz.
- The bloopers in the ________ reel were better than the movie itself!
Answers:
laughing, riot, giggles, rolling, cut-up, funny, clowning, comic, laughs, laughter, butt, gag
Conclusion
Funny idioms add humor and personality to our everyday conversations, helping us express amusement, silliness, and playfulness in unique ways. From tickling someone’s funny bone to pulling goofy faces, these phrases make language more lively and enjoyable.
So the next time you’re chatting with friends, telling a joke, or trying to lighten the mood, try tossing in one of these funny idioms. It’s a great way to show your sense of humor, connect with others, and brighten someone’s day—maybe even your own. Keep laughing, keep learning, and let these idioms bring more giggles into your life!
