chuckled; chuckling; chuckles
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 sense 5a) mirth
the clear bright water chuckled over gravel—
B. A. Williams
B. A. Williams
: 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
E. B. WhiteSynonyms
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 on the Web
The 23-year-old Forbes clapped her hands and chuckled.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Forbes’ Rashi Shrivastava writes that Hume’s tech also occasionally pauses when speaking, and will even chuckle—slightly disconcerting to hear coming from a computer.
—Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg chuckled at Behar's quip, before lowering her head to rest face-down on the table as the panelists continued talking.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
One moment this week, Ohtani and Mizuhara were chuckling with each other during a game.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Stevenson, one of her mentors, chuckled at the notion.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024
Asked to characterize the pair’s relationship, Servais chuckled, while Seattle general manager Justin Hollander provided some insight.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024
So the news former coach Jimmy Johnson is now part of a Cowboys advisory board should be taken with a grain of salt or least the jovial spirit in which it was announced by a chuckling Johnson on a Miami radio show that has since gone viral.
—Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2024
Romo's broadcast partner, Jim Nantz, audibly chuckled as the network went into a commercial break.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Forbes’ Rashi Shrivastava writes that Hume’s tech also occasionally pauses when speaking, and will even chuckle—slightly disconcerting to hear coming from a computer.
—Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg chuckled at Behar's quip, before lowering her head to rest face-down on the table as the panelists continued talking.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
One moment this week, Ohtani and Mizuhara were chuckling with each other during a game.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Stevenson, one of her mentors, chuckled at the notion.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024
Asked to characterize the pair’s relationship, Servais chuckled, while Seattle general manager Justin Hollander provided some insight.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024
So the news former coach Jimmy Johnson is now part of a Cowboys advisory board should be taken with a grain of salt or least the jovial spirit in which it was announced by a chuckling Johnson on a Miami radio show that has since gone viral.
—Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2024
Romo's broadcast partner, Jim Nantz, audibly chuckled as the network went into a commercial break.
—Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chuckle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near chuckle
Cite this Entry
“Chuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chuckle. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chuckle
verb
chuck·le
ˈchək-əl 
chuckled; chuckling
ˈchək-(ə-)liŋ
: to laugh in a quiet way
chuckle
noun
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