laughing stock

NOUN

object of ridicule

Synonyms

WEAK

Aunt Sally butt dupe fair game fall guy fool goat joke laughingstock stooge target victim

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In a July 4, 2013, email to Nikolic, Epstein wrote: “Bill risks going from richest man to biggest hypocrite, melinda a laughing stock, pledges will disappear as a result.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

“You think about two years ago, three years ago, four years ago or one year ago, we were a laughing stock all over the world.”

From Salon • Sep. 27, 2025

Owner of logistics and supply chain company PS Forwarding, Jason Bona, told the Today programme the incident made Heathrow a "laughing stock" in the global freight community.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2025

They went from an early-season laughing stock, 11 games under .500 in early June, to a midseason surge that left them 49-46 at All-Star break.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2024

It must have looked pretty daft from his side, and if he hadn’t been such a decent type, I’d have been a laughing stock in no time.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro