giggle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
giggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
giggled,
past participle, past
-
giggling
present participle
verb
noun
-
such a laugh
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informal something or someone that provokes amusement
-
a fit of prolonged and uncontrollable giggling
-
informal as a joke or prank; not seriously
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gigglesimple
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gigglessimple
-
have giggledperfect
-
has giggledperfect
-
am gigglingprogressive
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are gigglingprogressive
-
is gigglingprogressive
-
have been gigglingperfect progressive
-
has been gigglingperfect progressive
Past
-
giggledsimple
-
had giggledperfect
-
was gigglingprogressive
-
were gigglingprogressive
-
had been gigglingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing giggle
Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"Charlotte's Web": Chapter One
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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:
More than a decade older than some of her competitors, Ohashi can’t help but giggle at how circuitous her path has been.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The participants giggle, nervously stealing glances from their prospective matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“But they usually have a giggle and sometimes walk out with a bag full of goodies, too.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
"Everything on social media is really just me having a giggle, which is the truth of it. And that's all it should ever be, I think," she tells Newsbeat.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
They all giggle and tell her, “You deserve it!”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
This portion of the curriculum, naturally, came with plenty of giggles and whispers.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
No "oohs", no "aahs", no "so cutes", no giggles.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
Lynn Hershman Leeson’s wig-in-a-box that periodically giggles through a hidden speaker creepily drives home the notion that women were expected to perform as always-happy and put-together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
It isn’t quite silly season yet, but the giggles are starting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
Alexander sounded completely serious, and he and his siblings had their heads bent over their work, but it seemed to Penelope that all three of the Incorrigibles were suppressing giggles.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Though many in Hollywood have giggled at the idea of a major studio moving to the South, it isn’t totally ridiculous.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
By sickening contrast, Nadja Spiegelman, an editor at the Times, and Jia Tolentino, a writer for the New Yorker, giggled their way through an interview with Mr. Piker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
"I feel silly," giggled Ruiloba, a 34-year-old doctor.
From Barron's ● Jan. 11, 2026
He playfully slapped at him, and they smiled and giggled like the best of friends.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2025
Sam and Anastasia both said "No, thank you" and giggled.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
When customs officers at Heathrow developed a giggling problem, they called Jimmy Robinson.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Unlike a bachelorette party or the typical male revue, there was no giggling in the room, and no wink of camp from the performers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
He was told to go to the bathroom block and Cheryl ran giggling into the ladies' changing rooms, refusing to come out.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
He filmed the process for TikTok, giggling at his flubs and using his hands to accentuate the rhythmic cadence of the language.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
I crashed down with it and lay there, listening to Coogie and Albert whooping and hollering outside, and Jeb and the girls giggling up a storm.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
