laughing stock
Meaning
A person or thing that others laugh at; an object of ridicule.
Origin
Recorded from the 1500s. Here “stock” means a fixed target or habitual object (as in “common stock/subject”), so a “laughing stock” is someone regularly held up for laughter and ridicule.
Notes
Means “object of ridicule,” often harsh/insulting. Used for people, organizations, plans, etc. Common with “become/turn into/make someone a laughing stock.”
Examples
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After the video went viral, he became the laughing stock of the office.
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The team’s sloppy performance made them the laughing stock of the league.
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She worried that a wrong answer would turn her into the class’s laughing stock.
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When the “waterproof” phone died in the pool, it became a laughing stock online.
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If we launch with that many bugs, we’ll be the laughing stock of our competitors.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Usually used as a noun phrase: “a/the laughing stock (of X).” Often with verbs like become/turn into/be/make + someone + a laughing stock. Typically not pluralized in idiomatic use, but “laughing stocks” is possible in context.
Synonyms
- object of ridicule
- butt of jokes
- joke
- laughingstock
Antonyms
- source of pride
- respected figure
- role model