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
-
gigglesimple
-
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:
“I’m really drawn to problematic characters,” Eleazar says with a gleeful giggle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
“I don’t want to say things that will get me in trouble,” Papi said, which drew a giggle from Hilton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
This is the part where the Journal’s premier footy scribes Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg giggle at my stateside naiveté.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Actors would know when a joke landed when they would hear Burrows giggle as the scene unfolded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Between his deep croak, Hannah’s squeaky warble, and the fact that they were making up words on the fly Coal began to giggle.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Yet the comedy is so strong that Root giggles when he recalls moments from the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
This portion of the curriculum, naturally, came with plenty of giggles and whispers.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The others kept straight faces, but Carr couldn't manage it without dissolving into a fit of giggles.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
It isn’t quite silly season yet, but the giggles are starting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
“And here is the knowledge that was promised—an illusionist should never trust that which giggles and grins.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
She giggled at herself for that: “That’s a good one.”
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
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
An imaginary Rashida giggled as she popped one roshogollah after another into her mouth, devouring the whole pot that Naima had brought home from the sweet shop.
From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins
Pike seemed warm and "eager to please", said Roberts, and was giggling, smiling, and picking up on cues.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
When customs officers at Heathrow developed a giggling problem, they called Jimmy Robinson.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 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
Now it’s time to go, and giggling over nothing, we walk to her car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
Still giggling, I join Elizabeth and we catwalk up and down the aisle between metal racks, almost knocking down a mannequin.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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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.
