chuckle
Americanverb (used without object)
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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.
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Obsolete. to cluck, as a fowl.
noun
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a soft laugh, usually of satisfaction.
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Obsolete. the cluck of a hen.
verb
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to laugh softly or to oneself
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(of animals, esp hens) to make a clucking sound
noun
Related Words
See laugh.
Other Word Forms
- chuckler noun
- chucklingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of chuckle
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.
"But never underestimate a woman of a certain age," she chuckled to the camera.
From BBC
Amid the hard-hitting moral drama of “It Was Just an Accident,” moments that warrant a chuckle for their realistic absurdity might surprise some viewers.
From Los Angeles Times
It stars Seth Rogen and his infectious chuckle as the pig Napoleon.
I also chuckled when I saw this eye-popping Bloomberg headline: External link “Every Wall Street Analyst Now Predicts a Stock Rally in 2026.”
From Barron's
“People are always doing eulogies to the place,” Shapiro said with a chuckle.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
