Nanoparticles were synthesized under pulsed laser ablation of Pt, Ru, and Ag in water with or without PVP(poly(vinylpyrrolidone). Scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy were used to characterize the nanoparticles. Nano-sized particles were found to be in the range from several to tens nanometers. The plasma absorption bands of generated Pt, Ru, and Ag nanoparticles at around 254, 300, and 420 nm were observed. The water solution containing PVP with appropriate concentration was found to be in favor of the formation of noble metal nanoparticles and to be capable of stabilizing nanoparticle suspensions. Meanwhile, the mechanism of the formation of nanoparticles by laser ablation in liquid media was discussed. Results suggested that the colloidal solution of noble metal nanoparticles could be obtained simply by pulsed laser ablation of their bulk as targets in liquid, indicating the advantage over other methods especially for the synthesis of noble metals with high melting points.