giggle
Americanverb (used without object)
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
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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:
Thankfully, Jimmy knew of a nest being built on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland which would happily take in the giggle of galahs, alongside its impending parliament of owls and pandemonium of parrots.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
“I feel like there’s an artist after me but there isn’t,” said Selines with a hushed giggle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
She’s not coming back to have a hit and giggle and then a Pimm’s at Centre Court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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
We both tear up and start to giggle at the same time.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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
“I laughed because she did,” he weakly claims, and there are more giggles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
It isn’t quite silly season yet, but the giggles are starting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
That makes Angie’s giggles turn to full-on laughter.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
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
Carrie grinned and giggled and for one glorious moment savored her peace, until a rat stampede abruptly invaded it.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2025
Viewers loved it - as did the crew, who giggled in the background.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2025
Part of me looked down in horror at how I’d defaced Mom’s work, but the other part of me giggled.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Macedo followed with thoughtful remarks while apologizing because her giggling son kept climbing into her arms.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
He was told to go to the bathroom block and Cheryl ran giggling into the ladies' changing rooms, refusing to come out.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
He filmed the process for TikTok, giggling at his flubs and using his hands to accentuate the rhythmic cadence of the language.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
Then she makes a beeline for a gaggle of giggling children and expectant women, most in flowing black cloaks.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
And then one day, Roz marched into the workshop and heard giggling.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
