chortle

[ chawr-tl ]

verb (used without object)

, chor·tled, chor·tling.

1. to chuckle gleefully.

verb (used with object)

, chor·tled, chor·tling.

1. to express with a gleeful chuckle:

   to chortle one's joy.

noun

1. a gleeful chuckle.

chortle

/ ˈtʃɔːtəl /

verb

1. intr to chuckle gleefully

noun

1. a gleeful chuckle

Derived Forms

• ˈchortler, noun

Other Words From

• chortler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chortle¹

Blend of chuckle and snort; coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871)

Word History and Origins

Origin of chortle¹

C19: coined (1871) by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-glass; probably a blend of chuckle + snort

Example Sentences

Ken interjects in a flash, to chortles around the table.

From BBC

“OK, I think I can,” he relents, before chortling and adding: “I seriously don’t want to.”

From BBC

A large crowd, boisterously enjoying a dip whilst chitchatting and chortling, or a quiet night at home with nothing but your dip and a ton of chips and crudite.

From Salon

I’d scoff and chortle and avoid it, thinking that water was superfluous, extraneous, not something that would “make or break” whatever it was I was cooking.

From Salon

“Gotta love it when rich people move and leave all sorts of good stuff behind,” someone else chortled.

From Literature

Related Words

• cackle
• chuckle
• giggle
• laugh
• snicker