titter
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
verb
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(intr) to snigger, esp derisively or in a suppressed way
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(tr) to express by tittering
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has titteredperfect 3rd person singular
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have titteredperfect
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are titteringprogressive
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have been titteringperfect progressive
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titterssingular 3rd person
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titteringparticiple
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am titteringprogressive 1st person singular
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has been titteringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is titteringprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had titteredperfect
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titteredsimple
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titteredparticiple
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had been titteringperfect progressive
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were titteringprogressive plural
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was titteringprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of titter
1610–20; perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse tittra to quiver, Swedish (dial.) tittra to giggle
Explanation
A titter is an awkward laugh at something that you shouldn’t be laughing at, like during dinner when Uncle Marvin makes a joke about your mother’s new hairstyle. If you try to hide your laugh, it’s probably a titter. A laugh that you can’t keep in but also can’t let out, that’s a titter. It usually happens in situations where you shouldn’t be laughing, like listening to your English teacher talk about a date he went on the night before, or when someone tells you a joke in a library. A titter is kinder than a snicker, less noticeable than a giggle, quieter than a chuckle, and way less fun than a chortle. Life’s a joke, laugh it up!
Vocabulary lists containing titter
Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
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Gene Wilder (1933-2016) Tribute List
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The Lions of Little Rock
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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.
There’s not much more to say without giving it all away, so prepare to titter, gasp, scream and cheer for this juicy slice of indulgent women’s entertainment.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
But the laugh still felt to me like the queasy titter of being backed into a corner, with nowhere else to go.
From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2022
But titter not, lest you be tittered, it’s back tomorrow and the cold turkey will be brief.
From The Guardian • Feb. 5, 2021
By the time the first half of the film had been unfolded yesterday the spectators were beginning to titter gently.
From Slate • Dec. 31, 2019
Ser Axell grimaced in disgust, Ser Brus gave a nervous titter, Ser Narbert said, “I had been told all the giants were dead.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
