chortle

play

verb chor·tle \ ˈchȯr-tᵊl \

Definition of chortle

chortled; chortling play \ˈchȯrt-liŋ, ˈchȯr-tᵊl-iŋ\

intransitive verb

1 :to sing or chant exultantly

he chortled in his joy
—Lewis Carroll

2 :to laugh or chuckle especially when amused or pleased

She chortled with delight.

transitive verb

:to say or sing with a chortling intonation

"nothing whatever to worry about," he chortled merrily
—Kevin Myers

—

chortle

noun

—

chortler

play \ˈchȯrt-lər, ˈchȯr-tᵊl-ər\ noun

See chortle defined for English-language learners

See chortle defined for kids

Examples of chortle in a Sentence

He chortled, “You're going to love this.”
audiences might chortle gently during the movie's amusing bits, but there are few knee-slappers

Recent Examples of chortle from the Web

The car chortled to life, its 8-liter W-16 engine, inches behind our heads, gurgling smoothly, as Wallace eased the car up the driveway and onto Pacific Coast Highway.

— charles fleming, latimes.com, "Driving the world's fastest, most luxurious supercar — the $3-million Bugatti Chiron," 9 June 2017
Who else but the witty, brilliant playwright could get audiences chortling at the mention of Bauhaus, Albert Speer, Mies Van Der Rohe, Nietzsche and Ayn Rand hero Howard Roark?

— eric marchese, Orange County Register, "‘The Monster Builder’ builds monster laughs," 15 May 2017
While much attention is paid to audience chortles, the laughter of the stand-up comic remains underexamined, despite being a critical part of the performer’s tool set.

— jason zinoman, New York Times, "Why Do Comics Laugh at Their Own Jokes? It’s No Accident," 3 Mar. 2017
Old media chortled at stumbling by a paragon of big data.

— The Hive, "As Trump Takes Office, Nate Silver Twists the Knife," 20 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chortle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of chortle

probably blend of chuckle and snort

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1872

See Words from the same year

chortle Synonyms

Synonyms

break up, cackle, laugh, chuckle, crack up, giggle, hee-haw, roar, scream, snicker, titter, twitter

Related Words

grin, smile

Near Antonyms

bawl, blubber, cry, sob, weep; howl, scream, squall, wail, yowl; bleat, pule, whimper, whine; sniffle, snivel; groan, moan, sigh

CHORTLE Defined for English Language Learners

chortle

play

verb

Definition of chortle for English Language Learners

: to laugh because you are amused or pleased by something

CHORTLE Defined for Kids

chortle

play

verb chor·tle \ ˈchȯr-tᵊl \

Definition of chortle for Students

chortled; chortling

:to chuckle in amusement or joy

He chortled with delight.

Learn More about chortle

See words that rhyme with chortle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chortle Spanish Central: Translation of chortle Nglish: Translation of chortle for Spanish speakers

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chortle

Definition of chortle

chortle

chortler

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Examples of chortle in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of chortle

chortle Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

CHORTLE Defined for English Language Learners

chortle

Definition of chortle for English Language Learners

CHORTLE Defined for Kids

chortle

Definition of chortle for Students

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