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
nounPeople Are Reading
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
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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?
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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.
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Old media chortled at stumbling by a paragon of big data.
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
CHORTLE Defined for English Language Learners
chortle
playDefinition of chortle for English Language Learners
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: to laugh because you are amused or pleased by something
CHORTLE Defined for Kids
chortle
playDefinition of chortle for Students
chortled
;chortling
: to chuckle in amusement or joy He chortled with delight.
Learn More about chortle
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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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