Meanings
present singular third person chortles · participle present chortling · participle past chortled · past chortled
- intransitiveTo laugh with a chortle or chortles.
The old fellow chortled as he recalled his youthful adventures.
1 more example
'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy.
1871, Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Perhaps a blend of chuckle + snort. Coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, completed in 1855 but only introduced to the public in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian кикотене, кикотя се
- кикотене (kikotene)joyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- кикотя се (kikotja se)to laugh with a chortle or chortles
Dutch luidruchtig grinniken, verkneukelen
- luidruchtig grinniken, verkneukelenjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
Finnish hörötys, höröttää
- hörötysjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- höröttääto laugh with a chortle or chortles
- hörähtää (momentane)to laugh with a chortle or chortles
French gloussement, glousser
- gloussementjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- glousserto laugh with a chortle or chortles
German Glucksen, glucksen
- Glucksenjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- glucksento laugh with a chortle or chortles
Hindi ठहाका
- ठहाका (ṭhahākā)joyful, somewhat muffled laugh
Hungarian kuncog
- kuncogjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
Icelandic hneggja af hlátri, rýta af hlátri
- hneggja af hlátrito laugh with a chortle or chortles
- rýta af hlátrito laugh with a chortle or chortles
Norwegian humring, klukklatter
- humringjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- klukklatterjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- snøftingjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- humreto laugh with a chortle or chortles
- klukkleto laugh with a chortle or chortles
- snøfteto laugh with a chortle or chortles
Polish rechotać
- rechotaćjoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
Spanish carcajada, risa resoplante
- carcajadajoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- risa resoplantejoyful, somewhat muffled laugh
- carcajearto laugh with a chortle or chortles
- reírse resoplandoto laugh with a chortle or chortles
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with chortle
All rhymes →Cite this entry
chortle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chortle
“chortle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chortle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chortle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chortle.
Source: chortle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.