chortle

[ chawr-tl ]
See synonyms for chortle on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of chortle

1
Blend of chuckle and snort; coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871)

Other words from chortle

  • chortler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for chortle

chortle

/ (ˈtʃɔːtəl) /


verb
  1. (intr) to chuckle gleefully

noun
  1. a gleeful chuckle

Origin of chortle

1
C19: coined (1871) by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-glass; probably a blend of chuckle + snort

Derived forms of chortle

  • chortler, noun

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