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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is titteringprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been titteringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am titteringprogressive 1st person singular
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have been titteringperfect progressive
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are titteringprogressive
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titteringparticiple
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titterssingular 3rd person
Past
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had titteredperfect
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was titteringprogressive singular
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were titteringprogressive plural
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had been titteringperfect progressive
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titteredsimple
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titteredparticiple
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.
A recognizable screen star, Gambon went out not with a Broadway bang but with a sly Beckettian titter, committed as always to the work rather than his celebrity.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2023
The score, by Amelia Warner, announces when to titter and when to swoon.
From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2022
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
Seven days quiz What wisecrack caused a titter before the Queen's Speech?
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2017
“No argument there,” snorted Baron Hoover, which made his wife titter.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
