chuckle

verb chuck·le \ ˈchə-kᵊl \

|Updated on: 18 Jul 2018

Examples: chuckle in a Sentence

Definition of chuckle

chuckled; chuckling; chuckles

intransitive verb

1 : to laugh inwardly or quietly

He chuckled as he read the comic strip.

2 : to make a continuous gentle sound resembling suppressed (see suppress 5a) mirth

the clear bright water chuckled over gravel
—B. A. Williams

transitive verb

: to utter with a chuckle

Templeton grinned. "I'll tend to this," he chuckled. He took Wilbur's tail in his mouth and bit it … . The pain revived Wilbur.
—E. B. White

—

chuckle

noun

—

chucklesome

play \-səm\ adjective

—

chucklingly

play \-iŋ-lē\ adverb

See chuckle defined for English-language learners

See chuckle defined for kids

Examples of chuckle in a Sentence

She chuckled at the memory of what he had said.
everyone dutifully chuckled at the professor's intended jokes

Recent Examples of chuckle from the Web

Browns QB candidate Josh Allen chuckles about his airball, but hopes to get the last laugh: Allen was able to laugh at his airball that was captured on video, but hopes to be mentioned among the great in 15-20 years.

— nathaniel cline, cleveland.com, "Browns, NFL Draft 2018: Everything you need to know," 25 Apr. 2018
Francona chuckled during the mound visit to pull Perez, but the funniest moment was Perez doing his customary leap over the base line on the way to the dugout.

— john shea, SFChronicle.com, "Could Giants, other teams be cautious at trade deadline because of luxury tax?," 30 June 2018
The chef chuckled again, longer and louder than before.

— weike wang, The New Yorker, "Omakase," 6 June 2018
Yankees manager Aaron Boone chuckled when discussing the fifth-inning play involving Torres, who committed the baseball sin of making the first out of an inning at third base.

— david ginsburg, courant.com, "Sonny Gray, Aaron Judge Carry Yankees Past Orioles," 1 June 2018
Duval, who will meet with the Pistons on Friday, slightly chuckled.

— vince ellis, Detroit Free Press, "NBA draft combine: Detroit Pistons create stir using virtual reality," 17 May 2018
Hair parted down the middle, arms crossed, Verhofstadt chuckled.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "A Belgian Legislator Berates and Scoffs at Mark Zuckerberg," 22 May 2018
Those of you who don’t have kids have seen the movies, maybe even chuckled. Stop.

— christy carlson romano, PEOPLE.com, "Christy Carlson Romano's Blog: The Real Reasons Moms Should Be Celebrated on Mother's Day," 11 May 2018
The sound reached the neighboring Webster Recreation Center, where a few Mesa Public Schools staffers chuckled at the irony.

— elizabeth montgomery, azcentral, "Parents, day cares gear up as teachers announce walkout will continue through Monday," 27 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of chuckle

probably frequentative of ¹chuck

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1770

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

chuckle Synonyms

Phrases

split one's sides;

CHUCKLE Defined for English Language Learners

chuckle

verb

Definition of chuckle for English Language Learners

: to laugh in a quiet way

CHUCKLE Defined for Kids

chuckle

verb chuck·le \ ˈchə-kəl \

Definition of chuckle for Students

chuckled; chuckling

: to laugh in a quiet way

chuckle

noun

Definition of chuckle for Students

: a low quiet laugh

Learn More about chuckle

See words that rhyme with chuckle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chuckle Spanish Central: Translation of chuckle Nglish: Translation of chuckle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of chuckle for Arabic speakers

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chuckle

Definition of chuckle

chuckle

chucklesome

chucklingly

Examples of chuckle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of chuckle from the Web

Origin and Etymology of chuckle

chuckle Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

CHUCKLE Defined for English Language Learners

chuckle

Definition of chuckle for English Language Learners

CHUCKLE Defined for Kids

chuckle

Definition of chuckle for Students

chuckle

Definition of chuckle for Students

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