as in chuckles
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 laughs
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
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Recent Examples of chortles
Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
Shadow was there for almost an hour before hearing Jackie’s chortles.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
The blackbird really chortles away.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chortles
Noun
-
And what begins as a clever, high-concept joke doesn’t always build beyond a steady stream of chuckles.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The line was met with one or two chuckles from the hearing room, which was at capacity.—
Kevin Breuninger,Jeff Cox,Alex Harring,Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One can see why wrestling appealed to him—the crowd is everything, the rules mean nothing, and the referees are so feckless that they often get knocked out and everyone laughs.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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In one snap, the foursome laughs as Crown Prince Christian pretends to grab his younger brother's neck.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Wishing you all a week of giggles, group projects, and—yes—solidarity.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Actually, the mere mention of Millender brings smiles and giggles from his teammates.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chortles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chortles. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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