chortle

1 of 2

verb

chor·​tle ˈchȯr-tᵊl How to pronounce chortle (audio)
chortled; chortling
ˈchȯrt-liŋ,
ˈchȯr-tᵊl-iŋ How to pronounce chortle (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to sing or chant exultantly
he chortled in his joyLewis 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
chortler
ˈchȯrt-lər
ˈchȯr-tᵊl-ər How to pronounce chortle (audio)
noun

chortle

2 of 2

noun

plural chortles
: 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

Examples of chortle in a Sentence

Verb He chortled, “You're going to love this.” audiences might chortle gently during the movie's amusing bits, but there are few knee-slappers Noun the joke provoked a sudden chortle from a bystander
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
So skeptics may chortle at do-gooder liberals’ NIMBY uproar as being hoisted on their own petards, so to speak. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 May 2024 Her son had often suggested that the Investigative Committee investigate itself and chortled at the absurdity. Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
So many laurels hung around one’s neck can easily become heavy, but Mitchell has welcomed all of this fanfare with an amused lightness — a shimmy, a chortle and a fresh round of pinot grigio. Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 11 June 2023 The comment evoked a chortle from Prasher, whose typical manner combines irony and earthiness. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2011 See all Example Sentences for chortle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chortle.' 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

probably blend of chuckle and snort

First Known Use

Verb

1871, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chortle was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near chortle

Cite this Entry

“Chortle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chortle. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

chortle

verb
chor·​tle ˈchȯrt-əl How to pronounce chortle (audio)
chortled; chortling ˈchȯrt-(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce chortle (audio)
: to chuckle especially in satisfaction
chortle noun
chortler
ˈchȯrt-lər How to pronounce chortle (audio)
-(ə)lər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on chortle

Last Updated: - Definition revised
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!