The happy family was laughing together.

Meaning: This means that a specific group of people who are related to each other, such as parents and children, were all making sounds expressing amusement or joy at the same time, and it was an ongoing action.

Choice of Words: The is a definite article used to refer to a specific noun. Happy means feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. Family refers to a group of people related to each other, typically including parents and children. Was laughing is the past continuous tense of the verb laugh, which means to make a sound expressing amusement or joy. Together means in the same place or at the same time.