chuckle

[ chuhk-uhl ]

verb (used without object)

, chuck·led, chuck·ling.

1. to laugh softly or amusedly, usually with satisfaction:

   They chuckled at the child's efforts to walk.

2. to laugh to oneself:

   to chuckle while reading.

3. Obsolete. to cluck, as a fowl.

noun

1. a soft laugh, usually of satisfaction.
2. Obsolete. the cluck of a hen.

chuckle

/ ˈtʃʌkəl /

verb

1. to laugh softly or to oneself
2. (of animals, esp hens) to make a clucking sound

noun

1. a partly suppressed laugh

Derived Forms

• ˈchucklingly, adverb
• ˈchuckler, noun

Other Words From

• chuckler noun
• chuckling·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of chuckle¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; chuck ³ + -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of chuckle¹

C16: probably from chuck ³

Synonym Study

See laugh.

Example Sentences

“We just want the money,” Rui Hachimura said Wednesday with a bit of a chuckle.

From Los Angeles Times

"I think the first time I carried a bag with me was when I was 20, when I actually came to university," says Elena with a chuckle.

From BBC

“Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it,” she said, with a wry chuckle.

From Los Angeles Times

“Colin From Accounts” follows Ashley and Gordon — played by the show’s married creators and executive producers, Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall — who become inextricably intertwined with a meet-cute that made this Nora Ephron-obsessive chuckle: a nipple flash while crossing the street.

From Los Angeles Times

“If I had kept him, I might not have put him on the turf,” Baffert said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chortle
• laugh
• smile
• snicker