Definition of chortle
(Entry 1 of 2)
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.
: to say or sing with a chortling intonation
"… nothing whatever to worry about," he chortled merrily.— Kevin Myers
chortle
noun
plural chortles
Definition of chortle (Entry 2 of 2)
: a laugh or chuckle expressing pleasure or amusement
a chortle of delight I hear a catbird's bubbling notes, sounding like the bird is half strangling itself to get them out, the rapid-tonguing chortle of a red-bellied woodpecker …— John P. Wiley Jr. The grin escalates into a chuckle, the chuckle to a chortle.— Robert Palm
Test Your Vocabulary
Name That Color
-
- Name that color:

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share chortle
Time Traveler for chortle
The first known use of chortle was in 1871
See more words from the same year