chuckle

verb

chuck·​le ˈchə-kᵊl 

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 sense 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

ˈchə-kᵊl-səm 

adjective

chucklingly

ˈchə-kᵊl-iŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• laugh
• giggle

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

Ally repeatedly asked while gasping as about a dozen of her friends chuckled nearby. —Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025

Hearing this, Callier chuckled. —Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025

Flacco spent most of his postgame interview chuckling about the unpredictable last 10 days that have landed him back in the NFL's spotlight in his 18th season. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2025

While attendees chuckled, both companies’ respective consumer data suggest that the moderator’s question was pretty standard. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably frequentative of chuck entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1770, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chuckle

• buckle
• chicle
• knuckle
• muckle
• suckle
• tical
• honeysuckle

Kids Definition

chuckle

verb

chuck·​le ˈchək-əl 

chuckled; chuckling

ˈchək-(ə-)liŋ

: to laugh in a quiet way

chuckle noun