chuckle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
chuckles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chuckled,
past participle, past
-
chuckling
present participle
-
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
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chuckles
plural
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a soft laugh, usually of satisfaction.
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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
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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:
Looking back, both chuckle at what Hibbs now calls his “fairly naive hope.”
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
"As he was coming off, I said to him 'great save Nigel Martyn' because Hitchy was a Leeds fan and he had a little chuckle to himself," says Bowsley.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
I suppose that’s how I played it,” he said with a chuckle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
A shrill chuckle at the top of his throat, it quickly becomes a belly laugh, and he’s got some belly, so it’s a big noise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
After every memory Peach would say “Amen!” and folks would chuckle.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
Award show producers seemed to scramble for hosts that didn’t already have a record of ruffling feathers and could, at the bare minimum, garner a few chuckles from the crowd.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
"I'd come here once a month for a holiday if I could," he chuckles.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Throughout our conversation, in fact, the pair chuckles, nods along to each other’s answers, interjects sounds of assent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
"With so many unanswered questions, gravity remains one of the most fascinating areas of research. It's a naturally attractive field," Gallardo chuckles.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
It brought forth a smattering of chuckles from the room.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
"At home or with friends, you just say 'yeah, I was a matelot mate'," he chuckled.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Baker smiled widely, nodded his head, greeted Ortiz in Spanish, chuckled and walked over to Ortiz and Vladimir Guerrero, giving each of them hugs and pats on the back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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
“Your first line’s coming up. Terrifying. And I remember I said my first line and Meryl sort of chuckled quietly, and I was like, Thank God.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
The admiral nudged Alexander with an elbow and chuckled.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
"Brother Wang was very important. He was number one," says Enrique, chuckling knowingly.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Many are asking “What happened to Lindsey Graham?,” but nobody is chuckling.
From Slate ● 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
The man was clearly taken aback, some of the other patrons chuckling in surprise, the Dodger pulse of this town clearly resonating in a completely unusual fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2026
“Sell it! You can have it,” he responded, chuckling.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
