Carriage giving church a laugh? (7)
I believe the answer is:
chariot
'carriage' is the definition.
(chariot is a kind of carriage)
'giving church a laugh?' is the wordplay.
'giving' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'church' becomes 'ch' (common abbreviation).
'laugh?' becomes 'riot' (riot is a kind of laugh**).
'ch'+'a' is 'cha'.
'cha'+'riot'='CHARIOT'
(Other definitions for chariot that I've seen before include "A torch I placed on old wheeled two-vehicle" , "four-wheeled carriage?" , "American religious folksong 'Swing low, sweet ...'" , "Stately vehicle" , "ride in carriage" .)