chuckle

verb

chuck·​le ˈchə-kᵊl 

chuckled; chuckling; chuckles

intransitive verb

1

: to laugh inwardly or quietly

He chuckled as he read the comic strip.

2

: to make a continuous gentle sound resembling suppressed (see suppress sense 5a) mirth

the clear bright water chuckled over gravel

—B. A. Williams

transitive verb

: to utter with a chuckle

Templeton grinned. "I'll tend to this," he chuckled. He took Wilbur's tail in his mouth and bit it … . The pain revived Wilbur.

—E. B. White

chuckle noun

chucklesome

ˈchə-kᵊl-səm 

adjective

chucklingly

ˈchə-kᵊl-iŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• break up
• cackle
• chortle
• crack up
• giggle
• hee-haw
• laugh
• roar
• scream
• snicker
• titter
• twitter

Examples of chuckle in a Sentence

She chuckled at the memory of what he had said.

everyone dutifully chuckled at the professor's intended jokes

Recent Examples on the Web

Sensing her struggle, the audience lightly chuckled before cohost Joy Behar piped up. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024

Todd starts chuckling when Cullen presents him with his suspicion. —Jeremy Helligar, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024

The crowd gasped, then chuckled at their own shock. —Jeongyoon Han, NPR, 24 Sep. 2024

Baraka took the stage, in a pink shirt and white sneakers, and delivered an address that kept the room murmuring and chuckling for more than an hour. —Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably frequentative of chuck entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

chuckle

verb

chuck·​le ˈchək-əl 

chuckled; chuckling

ˈchək-(ə-)liŋ

: to laugh in a quiet way

chuckle noun