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Showing results for giggle. Search instead for Higgled.
Synonyms

giggle

American  
[gig-uhl] / ˈgɪg əl /

verb (used without object)

giggled, giggling

  1. to laugh in a silly, often high-pitched way, especially with short, repeated gasps and titters, as from juvenile or ill-concealed amusement or nervous embarrassment.

    Synonyms:
    chuckle, snigger, snicker

noun

  1. a silly, spasmodic laugh; titter.

    Synonyms:
    chuckle, snigger, snicker

  2. Slang. an amusing experience, incident, etc..

    Going to a silly movie was always a giggle.
giggle British  
/ ˈɡɪɡəl /

verb

  1. (intr) to laugh nervously or foolishly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. such a laugh

  2. informal something or someone that provokes amusement

  3. a fit of prolonged and uncontrollable giggling

  4. informal as a joke or prank; not seriously

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • giggler noun
  • giggling noun
  • gigglingly adverb
  • giggly adjective

Etymology

Origin of giggle

1500–10; imitative; compare Dutch gigelen, German gickeln. See -le

Explanation

If you laugh with a dainty tee-hee-hee, you giggle. Children giggle a lot. Big strong men are more likely to guffaw or issue a big belly laugh. The word giggle has been around since about the 16th century, and yet, it has no Latin or Greek roots. Most likely the word is an imitation of the silly sound you make when you laugh like this. If you and your friends have hidden a frog on your teacher's desk, when she enters the room and moves towards it, you will probably begin giggling — you know something funny is about to happen and you're a little nervous about it.

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Vocabulary lists containing giggle

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I try to remember how his voice sounded... how he would giggle," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

In the reception class at Smethwick's Victoria Park Academy, Aria, four, loves books that make her giggle.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025

Before playing, make sure to loudly debate if a touchdown will be worth SIX or SEVEN, and watch all the grandchildren giggle and lose their minds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

Puffin’s insulated beverage sleeves are practical and will bring a giggle out of whoever you gift them to.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2025

Normally, Hadley would giggle, at the very least.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.