as in laughs
someone or something that is very funny
the movie is a real knee-slapper if you are a fan of lowbrow humor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of knee-slappers
On dinner tables frequented by Brussels sprouts, meatloaf is the well-meaning uncle whose knee-slappers are beloved, but not particularly hip.
—
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knee-slappers
Noun
-
Some of the masterminds behind NBC‘s Saturday Night Live Season 51 brought the laughs all the way from Studio 8H to the DGA Theater to break down the process behind keeping the iconic sketch comedy engine running after more than five decades for Deadline Contenders TV.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Their laughs and chatter fill the countryside and one another’s hearts, the merriment binding them all together like caterpillars in one big cocoon.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Wiseman said to hoots from the crowd of media gathered at the site.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Owl hoots are most effective at striking up turkeys when owls are naturally active, which is around dawn and dusk.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some reported hearing the same unnerving screams in other parts of the state.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Heard some screams, plates, glasses, silverware hitting the ground, and then everybody was yelling, get down.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The city’s fragile race relations had crumbled with Rodney King, Latasha Harlins and the 1992 riots.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That video sparked an outcry against police brutality and riots when the officers were eventually exonerated.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One of his jokes in particular has drawn new attention, given the shooting incident at the dinner on Saturday, forcing the Secret Service to rush the Trumps and other administration officials from the dais and other seats near the stage.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Kimmel delivered the jokes about the first lady at a special version of his show that included his version of a fake monologue for the WHCD.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knee-slappers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knee-slappers. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
