The diver scored 518.00 for his display, more than 36 points ahead of fourth-placed Woo Ha-ram of South Korea, although he was unable to repeat his silver success of Rio 2016.
The 26-year-old was in the medal places throughout the event but his third and fourth dives were slightly below-par with the judges scoring him accordingly.
Laugher had kept pace with eventual gold medallist and two-time world champion Xie Siyi of China and while his final dive, a forward 4½ somersaults, scored him 96.90 points to give him hope of finishing second, Xie’s compatriot Wang Zongyuan displayed nerves of steel to ensure a China one-two on the podium after posting a score of 102.60 in his final dive.
Scotland’s James Heatly, competing in his first ever Olympics, finished ninth with a score of 411.00 points – an impressive showing for the Edinburgh-based debutant.