chuckle

verb

chuck·​le ˈchə-kᵊl How to pronounce chuckle (audio)
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 gravelB. 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 adjective
chucklingly adverb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Seated several feet away as his name came up in relation to picking Foster, Martin Jarmond chuckled. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024 Harris chuckled through the sketch, as Rudolph mimicked the vice president. Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2024 Without a talented ad agency behind you, a good rule of thumb is to go for clever humor that makes people smile or chuckle instead of trying for a side-splitting belly laugh. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 Sensing her struggle, the audience lightly chuckled before cohost Joy Behar piped up. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chuckle 

Word History

Etymology

probably frequentative of chuck entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chuckle was circa 1770

Dictionary Entries Near chuckle

Cite this Entry

“Chuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chuckle. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

chuckle

verb
chuck·​le ˈchək-əl How to pronounce chuckle (audio)
chuckled; chuckling
ˈchək-(ə-)liŋ
: to laugh in a quiet way
chuckle noun

More from Merriam-Webster on chuckle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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