chortle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
chortles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chortled,
past participle, past
-
chortling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
chortles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chortled,
past participle, past
-
chortling
present participle
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chortlesimple
-
chortlessimple
-
have chortledperfect
-
has chortledperfect
-
am chortlingprogressive
-
are chortlingprogressive
-
is chortlingprogressive
-
have been chortlingperfect progressive
-
has been chortlingperfect progressive
Past
-
chortledsimple
-
had chortledperfect
-
was chortlingprogressive
-
were chortlingprogressive
-
had been chortlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chortle
Blend of chuckle and snort; coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871)
Explanation
A chortle is a joyful, partly muffled laugh. If you have a toddler, you will recognize the sound of a delighted chortle, sort of louder and a bit more raucous than a giggle. In 1871, Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice in Wonderland, coined the word chortle in the poem "Jabberwocky," about a son who slays a monster and comes back to his relieved and happy father: "'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy." Experts consider the word a blend of the words chuckle and snort and the laugh itself is also a cross between the two. You may chortle in glee if you find out your work nemesis just got a new job in another office — out of state.
Vocabulary lists containing chortle
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
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List 8
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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'll miss our chats and I'll miss catching him off guard and making him chortle.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
“I am trying to say it publicly to make sure he sees it,” Rogen says with his trademark chortle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2025
If Kate DiCamillo wrote a book about a box of Swiffer refills, it would probably make us chortle and sob about lint.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
Now, a new, more virile chortle has risen to take its place.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2023
There may well come a time when, like me, you’ll need to keep a stack handy wherever you go, but” — he gave a little chortle — “I don’t think you’re quite there yet.”
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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
“What’s that shiny ring you got there? … Well, OK, I’m not gonna take it from you. That seems really precious to you,” he says as the audience chortles.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
As Christmas chortles atop an all-terrain vehicle while wielding a .50 caliber weapon, it looks like the whole thing could have been shot with rear projection, the green-screen work is so shoddy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2023
Everyone chortles and then moves on, but it's a silly joke that actually does have a well-intentioned meaning behind it when it comes to the bright condiment and ingredient.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2023
“No, no, my boy, I’m joking—obviously,” he chortles, leaning over to pat my hand.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
They’ve made new friends, including several other Palisades evacuees, and Joe chortled when he told me his dear youthful bride has taken up pickleball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2025
When Van Peebles decided to try to make the movie himself, Hollywood chortled.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 24, 2021
Muguruza regrouped and the crowd chortled, a fitting reaction at a tournament where the outlook has been decidedly cheerful, albeit with aging star players contemplating how many sips they might have left.
From New York Times ● Jul. 2, 2021
“It sounds like something I would say,” said the humble ambassador, as he chortled out loud.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 20, 2019
“Well,” chortled Finkle, “just aim for the one in the middle, Eddie!”
From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman
“OK, I think I can,” he relents, before chortling and adding: “I seriously don’t want to.”
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2024
A large crowd, boisterously enjoying a dip whilst chitchatting and chortling, or a quiet night at home with nothing but your dip and a ton of chips and crudite.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2024
“If Rishi Sunak can’t keep his own dog on a leash how is he going to keep the big dog Boris Johnson on one?” the caller asked, leaving the radio host chortling.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2023
But that doesn’t excuse mean-spirited talk of the ilk the councilmembers disgorged or tolerated — sometimes chortling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2022
Ewell was giggling, grinning, cocking his head off to the side like a huge parrot, chortling.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
