chortle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
chortles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chortled,
past participle, past
-
chortling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
chortles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chortled,
past participle, past
-
chortling
present participle
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chortlesimple
-
chortlessimple
-
have chortledperfect
-
has chortledperfect
-
am chortlingprogressive
-
are chortlingprogressive
-
is chortlingprogressive
-
have been chortlingperfect progressive
-
has been chortlingperfect progressive
Past
-
chortledsimple
-
had chortledperfect
-
was chortlingprogressive
-
were chortlingprogressive
-
had been chortlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chortle
Blend of chuckle and snort; coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871)
Explanation
A chortle is a joyful, partly muffled laugh. If you have a toddler, you will recognize the sound of a delighted chortle, sort of louder and a bit more raucous than a giggle. In 1871, Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice in Wonderland, coined the word chortle in the poem "Jabberwocky," about a son who slays a monster and comes back to his relieved and happy father: "'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy." Experts consider the word a blend of the words chuckle and snort and the laugh itself is also a cross between the two. You may chortle in glee if you find out your work nemesis just got a new job in another office — out of state.
Vocabulary lists containing chortle
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
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List 8
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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:
If Kate DiCamillo wrote a book about a box of Swiffer refills, it would probably make us chortle and sob about lint.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
Now, a new, more virile chortle has risen to take its place.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2023
The rest of us will be content to drool at each of Bertha's fabulous dresses or chortle at Agnes' quick comebacks.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2022
He could wail and whimper, chortle and coo, often dropping his microphone midsong and finishing the verse in a naked roar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2021
There may well come a time when, like me, you’ll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go, but” — he gave a little chortle — “I don’t think you’re quite there yet.”
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
He chortles as Thoreau gets sick over a quahog.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
"With a wig and a moustache," he chortles, while wearing the sort of sheepskin coat that even Del Boy might have rejected on taste grounds.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
It’s scathing; it made me snort rage chortles aloud as I read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
“What’s that shiny ring you got there? … Well, OK, I’m not gonna take it from you. That seems really precious to you,” he says as the audience chortles.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
“We’re going to be okay,” DeShon chortles, hopping ahead rapidly.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
California competition, cheered and chortled last week when Musk announced he was moving the headquarters of his Tesla electric vehicle company from Silicon Valley to Austin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2021
Right now, the general feeling toward Pence among Trump allies is sympathy, said one Republican in frequent touch with the White House, who chortled and said, “Poor guy.”
From Washington Post ● Jan. 5, 2021
“You should have heard yourself,” he chortled back at me, “you said ‘What country friends is this?’ in a thick South African accent!”
From The Guardian ● Jul. 9, 2020
Stoya: I straight-up chortled when I was reading the question through for the first time.
From Slate ● May 23, 2019
“Gotta love it when rich people move and leave all sorts of good stuff behind,” someone else chortled.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
“OK, I think I can,” he relents, before chortling and adding: “I seriously don’t want to.”
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2024
A large crowd, boisterously enjoying a dip whilst chitchatting and chortling, or a quiet night at home with nothing but your dip and a ton of chips and crudite.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2024
“If Rishi Sunak can’t keep his own dog on a leash how is he going to keep the big dog Boris Johnson on one?” the caller asked, leaving the radio host chortling.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2023
Rogers, for her part, is chortling all the way to her campaign treasurer’s office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
Fred and George set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was howling with laughter, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione, also chortling, went in to breakfast.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
