giggle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
giggles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
giggled,
past participle, past
-
giggling
present participle
verb
noun
-
such a laugh
-
informal something or someone that provokes amusement
-
a fit of prolonged and uncontrollable giggling
-
informal as a joke or prank; not seriously
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gigglesimple
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gigglessimple
-
have giggledperfect
-
has giggledperfect
-
am gigglingprogressive
-
are gigglingprogressive
-
is gigglingprogressive
-
have been gigglingperfect progressive
-
has been gigglingperfect progressive
Past
-
giggledsimple
-
had giggledperfect
-
was gigglingprogressive
-
were gigglingprogressive
-
had been gigglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of giggle
1500–10; imitative; compare Dutch gigelen, German gickeln. See -le
Explanation
If you laugh with a dainty tee-hee-hee, you giggle. Children giggle a lot. Big strong men are more likely to guffaw or issue a big belly laugh. The word giggle has been around since about the 16th century, and yet, it has no Latin or Greek roots. Most likely the word is an imitation of the silly sound you make when you laugh like this. If you and your friends have hidden a frog on your teacher's desk, when she enters the room and moves towards it, you will probably begin giggling — you know something funny is about to happen and you're a little nervous about it.
Vocabulary lists containing giggle
Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"Charlotte's Web": Chapter One
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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:
“But they usually have a giggle and sometimes walk out with a bag full of goodies, too.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Jones said the project had been "35 years in the making", while Speirs joked it "could be a long shoot" as Jones kept making him "giggle".
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Their antics made Huntington Beach a national laughingstock — but Gates and his pals so far have had the last giggle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Then she shares a delightful, fact-based piece of trivia like, “Hey, did you know that rats giggle when you tickle them?”
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
Before long, even the solemn Swanburne girls began to talk and giggle among themselves, with nearly the same freedom and merriment Penelope recalled from her own days at school.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
This portion of the curriculum, naturally, came with plenty of giggles and whispers.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
No "oohs", no "aahs", no "so cutes", no giggles.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
The name Hank McCune may be lost to history, but his short-lived television sitcom will forever be remembered for its chuckles, chortles, giggles and guffaws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
It isn’t quite silly season yet, but the giggles are starting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
The frantic giggles were quick, and she leaned her head back again.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
By sickening contrast, Nadja Spiegelman, an editor at the Times, and Jia Tolentino, a writer for the New Yorker, giggled their way through an interview with Mr. Piker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
"I feel silly," giggled Ruiloba, a 34-year-old doctor.
From Barron's ● Jan. 11, 2026
"We've come a long way, I'm not going to throw him under a bus," said Burns, while Carr just giggled.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025
Carrie grinned and giggled and for one glorious moment savored her peace, until a rat stampede abruptly invaded it.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2025
Enzo just giggled as he fell into George’s lap.
From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis
"And then Jimothy shows up and for one brief weird moment everyone is on the same page - rooting for this little gremlin, giggling at his name, feeling weirdly connected to strangers over absolutely nothing."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Fan-edited montages of the pair embracing, giggling and jumping into each other's arms are all over social media.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Beneath azure skies and fluffy white clouds, three giggling toddlers and their mothers arrive at a candy-colored water park in the town of CoComelon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Unlike a bachelorette party or the typical male revue, there was no giggling in the room, and no wink of camp from the performers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
A tiny girl with freckles and a thin, dark ponytail whispers so loud that everyone starts giggling again.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
