chuckle

[ chuhk-uh l ]
/ ˈtʃʌk əl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR chuckle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), chuck·led, chuck·ling.

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.

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Origin of chuckle

First recorded in 1590–1600; chuck3 + -le

OTHER WORDS FROM chuckle

chuck·ler, nounchuck·ling·ly, adverb

Words nearby chuckle

chuckchi, chucker, chucker-out, chuckhole, chuckie, chuckle, chucklehead, chuckwalla, chucky, chuddar, chuddies
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to chuckled

snicker, smile, chortle, laugh, cackle, guffaw, crow, snigger, titter, exult, sniggle

Example sentences from the Web for chuckled

British Dictionary definitions for chuckled

chuckle
/ (ˈtʃʌkəl) /

verb (intr)

to laugh softly or to oneself
(of animals, esp hens) to make a clucking sound

noun

a partly suppressed laugh

Derived forms of chuckle

chuckler, nounchucklingly, adverb

Word Origin for chuckle

C16: probably from chuck ³
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