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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chortle
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2011
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
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
See All Example Sentences for chortle
Noun
The comment evoked a chortle from Prasher, whose typical manner combines irony and earthiness.
—Verb
So skeptics may chortle at do-gooder liberals’ NIMBY uproar as being hoisted on their own petards, so to speak.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for chortle
Verb
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Bean could be heard laughing at him from inside the classroom, the affidavits state.—
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Notable guests like philanthropist Laura Wasserman and former Oprah producer Charles Cook laughed — and cried — as talent agent Charles Silver shared fond memories of Rivers' late parents Joan Rivers and Edgar Rosenberg.—
Noun
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Indian American actor Kal Penn was the host for the evening and his comments as well as those by the hosts drew a lot of laughter.—
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Bibby said to a chorus of laughter in a room that included Hornets staffers, coaches from other sports and his family, including son Michael Bibby Jr, who grew up attending Kings practices and games.—
Verb
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The plot is easy to follow, there are plenty of moments to make younger viewers giggle, and older kids and adults will appreciate the quick-witted humor thrown in by the adults.—
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The internet's heart instantly melted at the sound of a baby giggling while the family dog carefully played with her.—
Noun
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League sources stifle their snickers in public while privately marveling at the owner’s ceaseless stupidity. 3.—
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So he must be placed in the Apparition section, next to ghosts like John Barron, sharing a snicker with Ivana.—
Verb
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At Griffith's house on the day of his death, Kelly remembers chuckling that the police officers milling around kept getting pricked by his cactuses, knowing that Griffith would have appreciated that, given his formerly adversarial relationship with law enforcement.—
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The corner outfielder, rated as Colorado’s No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline, paused for a long moment and chuckled at the question before answering.—
Cite this Entry
“Chortle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chortle. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
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