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:
International fans who have lived with this flaming dumpster of technology have to chuckle at a Jason-come-lately discovering the bane of their existence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
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
“His paycheck was only around $1,000 at the time,” she recalled with a chuckle, holding back tears.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
So I just cranked up a chuckle of my own, reached out and took her hand again, and headed back out to the dance floor.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
“Why are we paying extras $180 a day when they look so plastic anyway?” he asked, eliciting slightly nervous chuckles from the audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Alex McKechnie chuckles at the leap of faith he took when he packed up almost all his belongings in Glasgow and booked a one-way flight to Vancouver, Canada on 7 September 1974.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Efforts to wring laughs out of a genuinely awful situation yield only a few uncomfortable chuckles, such as when Charlie and Emma strike some warmup poses for a wedding photographer during an impromptu session.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
No chuckles, no snickers, not even a cough.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2026
It brought forth a smattering of chuckles from the room.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Baldoni and his wife smiled and chuckled through the nearly five-minute long video released on Instagram on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
“For me, it was about these empowerment sessions. But somebody reminded me, ‘You know, people like to have fun too,’” Sue chuckled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Pressed by show host Amy Goodman to expound, Coogler chuckled: “Um, I’d rather not say. But the attention on this project outside of a piece of art or commerce has been interesting.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
He chuckled: "I have a little prayer every night."
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
A smile slowly formed on his face, and he chuckled.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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
Though Zendaya might have been chuckling a bit when she posted a “Save the Date” message on social media three weeks ago to promote her upcoming movie “The Drama.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
The route led down into a wooded valley with a chuckling stream edged with brittle ice, which the path followed for perhaps half a mile before taking us steeply up into denser woods.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
