chortle

[ chawr-tl ]

/ ˈtʃɔr tl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chortle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), chor·tled, chor·tling.

to chuckle gleefully.

verb (used with object), chor·tled, chor·tling.

to express with a gleeful chuckle: to chortle one's joy.

noun

a gleeful chuckle.

Nearby words

chorology, choropleth, chorrie, chorrillos, chorten, chortle, chorus, chorus boy, chorus frog, chorus girl, chorus pedal

Origin of chortle

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

Related forms

chor·tler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chortling

The glee and chortling that greeted Mr. Smith is a sign of bitterness and a focus on the past rather than the future.
Why Was Executive Greg Smith Shocked by Greed at Goldman Sachs?|Zachary Karabell|March 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But they are chortling about how ham-handed Burson's PR guys were.
Facebook Smear Blame Game|Dan Lyons|May 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Their dismal whooping and chortling, heard in the gloom of the night and the storm, were uncanny to say the least.
A Busy Year at the Old Squire's|Charles Asbury Stephens
He knelt down, chortling, upon the ground with the Jabizri safe under his hat.
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle|Hugh Lofting

But he was not giving this matter much thought as he emptied the swill-pails to the chortling hogs.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
The chortling truck gasped at the curves and tugged on the straightaway, but Robert Fairchild had ceased to hear.
The Cross-Cut|Courtney Ryley Cooper
It was then that Gwendolyn heard the nurse muttering and chortling to herself.
The Poor Little Rich Girl|Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for chortling

chortle

/ (ˈtʃɔːtəl) /

verb

(intr) to chuckle gleefully

noun

a gleeful chuckle

Derived Forms

chortler, noun

Word Origin for chortle

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

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