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
-
Jackson laughs with Kirkwood over the chance meeting, calls in the other referees for a group picture.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
16 May 2026
-
Moving on to more pleasant things [laughs].—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
11 May 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 22 May. 2026.
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