chortle

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

Synonyms of chortle

• chuckle
• laughter
• giggle
• laugh
• snicker

Examples of chortle in a Sentence

the joke provoked a sudden chortle from a bystander

Recent Examples on the Web

Shadow was there for almost an hour before hearing Jackie’s chortles. —Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026

Both turns inside multiple characters display their wide range of comic stylings, offering chortle opportunities throughout the tight 90 minutes of runtime. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2025

The Naked Gun is happy to deliver plenty of chortles, along with some wild swings that are just slapsticky enough to work. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2025

Yoda made a slight sound of dissatisfaction, a grumbling chortle. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chortle

• immortal
• mortal
• quartile

Kids Definition

chortle

verb

chor·​tle ˈchȯrt-əl 

chortled; chortling ˈchȯrt-(ə-)liŋ 

: to chuckle especially in satisfaction

chortle noun

chortler

ˈchȯrt-lər 

-(ə)lər

noun