as in chuckle
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement
the joke provoked a sudden chortle from a bystander
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to laugh
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
audiences might chortle gently during the movie's amusing bits, but there are few knee-slappers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chortle
Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 11 June 2023
When the book said that someone laughed, Miles offered the engineer a giggle, a chortle, and a cackle; when a character steepled their fingers, Miles did, too.
—Daniel A. Gross, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2022
U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
But to chortle with a murderous, anti-American dictator over a former vice president . .
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chortle
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
When the book said that someone laughed, Miles offered the engineer a giggle, a chortle, and a cackle; when a character steepled their fingers, Miles did, too.
—Daniel A. Gross, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2022
Verb
This will also make small-government types chortle over the notion that Trump is actually one of them.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
But to chortle with a murderous, anti-American dictator over a former vice president . .
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chortle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chortle
Noun
-
People joined in and had a good old chuckle.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
LaKeith Stanfield is an easy standout as Parker’s best friend Grofield, a passionate actor who moonlights as a criminal to fund his dead-end theater company — some of the movie’s heartiest chuckles come from the joy Grofield takes in getting to ham things up as part of the heist.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The audience laughed, then a few hours later, its minds and anxieties provoked, spilled out into the warm September air a little heavier for the wear.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Potter was able to laugh about it at a press conference on Friday, a pointless briefing given he was sacked the following morning.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
So aunts and uncles in Gaza would call from the beach there, allowing Kordia to share her cousins’ laughter and glimpse the waves.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
-
What was meant to be an aesthetic honeymoon video quickly sparked laughter online, when one newlywed noticed something unusual when watching back footage.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The trio, meeting over their lunch break during rehearsals, start to giggle.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
-
These religious Iranians are bad Iranians, presented here as blandly featureless aside from their obsession with controlling women, while Roya — with her giggling desire to meet Timothée Chalamet — is recognizably more western and therefore good.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Early never makes fun of Maddie, never lets the audience snicker at the screen.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The carnage leads to a sigh of an epilogue that seems, without giving anything away, like a curious letdown, a cruel little snicker from Aster that doesn’t entirely satisfy.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chortle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chortle. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share