chuckle

[ chuhk-uhl ]
See synonyms for: chucklechuckledchuckling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),chuck·led, chuck·ling.
  1. to laugh softly or amusedly, usually with satisfaction: They chuckled at the child's efforts to walk.

  2. to laugh to oneself: to chuckle while reading.

  1. Obsolete. to cluck, as a fowl.

noun
  1. a soft laugh, usually of satisfaction.

  2. Obsolete. the cluck of a hen.

Origin of chuckle

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; chuck3 + -le

synonym study For chuckle

4. See laugh.

Other words from chuckle

  • chuckler, noun
  • chuck·ling·ly, adverb

Words Nearby chuckle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chuckle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chuckle

chuckle

/ (ˈtʃʌkəl) /


verb(intr)
  1. to laugh softly or to oneself

  2. (of animals, esp hens) to make a clucking sound

noun
  1. a partly suppressed laugh

Origin of chuckle

1
C16: probably from chuck ³

Derived forms of chuckle

  • chuckler, noun
  • chucklingly, adverb

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