chortled; chortling
ˈchȯrt-liŋ 
ˈchȯr-tᵊl-iŋ
1
: to sing or chant exultantly
he chortled in his joy—
Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll2
: to laugh or chuckle especially when amused or pleased
She chortled with delight.
: to say or sing with a chortling intonation
"… nothing whatever to worry about," he chortled merrily.—Kevin Myers
Kevin Myers
plural chortles
: a laugh or chuckle expressing pleasure or amusement
a chortle of delight
I hear a catbird's bubbling notes, sounding like the bird is half strangling itself to get them out, the rapid-tonguing chortle of a red-bellied woodpecker …—John P. Wiley, Jr.
John P. Wiley, Jr.The grin escalates into a chuckle, the chuckle to a chortle.—Robert Palm
Robert PalmSynonyms
Examples of chortle in a Sentence
Verb
He chortled, “You're going to love this.”
audiences might chortle gently during the movie's amusing bits, but there are few knee-slappers
Noun
the joke provoked a sudden chortle from a bystander
Recent Examples on the WebEdward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 May 2024
Her son had often suggested that the Investigative Committee investigate itself and chortled at the absurdity.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 11 June 2023
The comment evoked a chortle from Prasher, whose typical manner combines irony and earthiness.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2011
See all Example Sentences for chortle 
Verb
So skeptics may chortle at do-gooder liberals’ NIMBY uproar as being hoisted on their own petards, so to speak.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 May 2024
Her son had often suggested that the Investigative Committee investigate itself and chortled at the absurdity.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
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
The comment evoked a chortle from Prasher, whose typical manner combines irony and earthiness.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2011
See all Example Sentences for chortle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chortle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Chortle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chortle. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chortle
verb
chor·tle
ˈchȯrt-əl
chortled; chortling
ˈchȯrt-(ə-)liŋ
: to chuckle especially in satisfaction
chortle
noun
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