snicker

1 of 2

verb

snick·​er ˈsni-kər How to pronounce snicker (audio)
snickered; snickering ˈsni-k(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce snicker (audio)

intransitive verb

: to laugh in a covert or partly suppressed manner : titter
snickerer noun
snickery adjective

snicker

2 of 2

noun

: an act or sound of snickering

Examples of snicker in a Sentence

Verb he snickered at the puzzled look on her face Noun a snicker of derision when we heard their offer on the house
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Sitar sounds and chimes mixed with ethereal keys and swirling yellow and green lights opened the next composition, before another song bubbled up with crickets and birds snickering. Hillary Crosley Coker, Variety, 30 Jan. 2024 Some may snicker at Replika devotees, but loneliness is a deadly pandemic no one should suffer. Rob Reid, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2023 Seated in the hall next to his bodyguard, Putin snickered and slumped in his chair. Simon Shuster, TIME, 4 Jan. 2024 Adults with iPhones have been known to privately snicker to one another when a green bubble taints a group chat. Brian X. Chen, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2023 Rodrigo, an actress on a Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, performed each lyric with an appropriate tremble, snicker, or sigh. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2023 Cleveland Police union officials surely are snickering about this. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 6 Sep. 2023 Barker was an animal-rights activist, and there was always some snickering about this. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 28 Aug. 2023 Europeans can no longer snicker about the American puritanical streak, the old litmus test for our politicians. Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 1 Aug. 2023
Noun
Sure enough, by the end of the weekend, posts had started popping up on X and TikTok eliciting groans and snickers in equal measure. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 6 Feb. 2024 From 4 to 7 p.m. For $110, guests can get cauliflower steak, striped bass, rib eye and various desserts like apple pie snicker doodle, gingersnap and doughnuts. Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2023 Who can stifle a snicker at the monster’s first chat with his creator? Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023 Credit the fact that Sayer delivers all of this random information in the same 120-decibel deadpan holler for making a schtick that should wear out quickly continue to engender snickers. Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Aug. 2023 The schoolyard snickers did not lessen Baby Rose’s ambition for her voice. Olivia McCormack, Washington Post, 21 June 2023 Reese gave a knowing smirk as a wave of quiet snickers carried across the room. Kara Voght, Washington Post, 26 May 2023 Loyal staffers are often rewarded with promotions (not always merited, one source snickers), and indeed there are already rumblings that Yaccarino is looking to poach employees from NBC. Kylie Robison, Fortune, 14 May 2023 But if the league’s players are well clear of the top of the leaderboard, the snickers will grow as much as some of the golfers’ bank accounts have. Alan Blinder, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snicker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1694, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snicker was in 1694

Dictionary Entries Near snicker

Cite this Entry

“Snicker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snicker. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

snicker

1 of 2 verb
snick·​er ˈsnik-ər How to pronounce snicker (audio)
snickered; snickering -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce snicker (audio)
: to give a small and often mean or sly laugh

snicker

2 of 2 noun
: an act or sound of snickering

More from Merriam-Webster on snicker

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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