chuckle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to laugh softly or amusedly, usually with satisfaction.
They chuckled at the child's efforts to walk.
-
to laugh to oneself.
to chuckle while reading.
-
Obsolete. to cluck, as a fowl.
noun
-
a soft laugh, usually of satisfaction.
-
Obsolete. the cluck of a hen.
verb
-
to laugh softly or to oneself
-
(of animals, esp hens) to make a clucking sound
noun
Synonym Usage
See laugh.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chucklesimple
-
chucklessimple
-
have chuckledperfect
-
has chuckledperfect
-
am chucklingprogressive
-
are chucklingprogressive
-
is chucklingprogressive
-
have been chucklingperfect progressive
-
has been chucklingperfect progressive
Past
-
chuckledsimple
-
had chuckledperfect
-
was chucklingprogressive
-
were chucklingprogressive
-
had been chucklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chuckle
Explanation
Chuckle is as fun to say as it is to do. In fact, just the sound of the word chuckle may make you feeling like chuckling, or laughing softly. Chuckle is one of many words for different kinds of laughter. These include giggle, titter, snicker, and a word that is a cross between chuckle and snort — chortle. These words are all imitative. That is, the word itself sounds like the noise it refers to. With all these words for laughter, it may be hard to choose the right one for the occasion. Use chuckle when you mean a quiet, even soundless laugh.
Vocabulary lists containing chuckle
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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.
See Examples For:
Initially, this shot in “Couture” gave me a chuckle and took me out of the film.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
If he was to replay that scene in his head almost four years on, he would surely find it difficult not to chuckle at his own expense.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
“Oh, that’s cold isn’t it,” Ms. Ayres-Wilson says, with a chuckle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Trump then said, before adding with a chuckle: "I think you could."
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
But there was a chuckle in the answer.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Were those chuckles overpowered by groans and eye rolls?
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
“My sister and I introduced him to Jockstrap,” Grohl chuckles when I ask what bands she introduced her dad to during those rides.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Chicago senior Eamonn Kenah chuckles when I mention McGrath’s description.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
The visual gags that are part of Jake’s physical travails not only elicit chuckles but add a neurodivergent undertone to the story.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2025
The other man chuckles, following me through the door while Mr. Blond Policeman goes to Helena and squats down in front of her.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
"She saw my bracelets that I wearing and she just came at me," chuckled Joseph.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
It wasn’t until a pair of older women chuckled as they blew past me that I found my second wind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
As Rudolph made his way across the science center campus in March, he chuckled at the children bumping into him on their way to the exhibits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
A herd of pigs at a swine facility once charged at him, forcing him to jump out of the way while the farmhands chuckled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
A couple of aunties to our left chuckled at that, and Trey shot them a dirty look, too.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Many are asking “What happened to Lindsey Graham?,” but nobody is chuckling.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
"Brother Wang was very important. He was number one," says Enrique, chuckling knowingly.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Later we’ll hear a young oligarch say, while chuckling nefariously, “I have a banker’s personality. I love money!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
It’s just one of those things that the robots will be chuckling about to themselves for the next millennium.
From Slate ● Feb. 28, 2026
“Wow, that stinks,” Carmen said, chuckling a little.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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.
