as in chuckle
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement
the joke provoked a sudden chortle from a bystander
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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Bush are flops that remain well worth a chuckle.—
Will Leitch,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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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
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Make people laugh and help people out and just keep that vicious cycle of fun going.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
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There are also shots of the countless members of Swift’s band, dance troupe and stage crew hard at work setting up the show night after night, along with her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift, who are frequently seen smiling and laughing with their daughter.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Elizabeth and Dominic's 95 guests burst into laughter as the dog jumped into the fountain and began walking around, licking up water.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
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The comedian eventually flubbed a line and broke into laughter while performing the sketch on live TV.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dratch also continued to giggle through lines for the rest of the sketch, and her occasional pauses to get her bearings were met with joyous applause from the SNL audience.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
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In a video added to Johnson's Instagram Stories, Rome smiled and giggled as the paramedic talked with him, moving to place the oxygen mask on his face.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Early never makes fun of Maddie, never lets the audience snicker at the screen.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
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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 15 Oct. 2025.
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