chuckle

C3H4U1C3K5L1E1
/ˈt͡ʃʌkəl/

noun

A quiet laugh.

“She chuckled her assent to my offer as she got in the car.”

Similar
chortlegigglesniggertittergropecoddlepettouch up
Less commonScrabble 18
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Word of the Day · Jan 27, 2026

Meanings

chuckle1

nounchuckle (plural chuckles)

plural chuckles

  1. A quiet laugh.

    Synonyms: chortle, giggle, snigger, titter

verbchuckle (third-person singular simple present chuckles, present participle chuckling, simple past and past participle chuckled)

present singular third person chuckles · participle present chuckling · participle past chuckled · past chuckled

  1. To laugh quietly or inwardly.
  2. transitiveTo communicate through chuckling.

    She chuckled her assent to my offer as she got in the car.

  3. archaicintransitiveTo make the sound of a chicken; to cluck.
  4. archaictransitiveTo call together, or call to follow, as a hen calls her chickens; to cluck.

    if these Birds are within distance, here's that will chuckle 'em together

    1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page number)
  5. archaictransitiveTo fondle; to indulge or pamper.

    Synonyms: grope, coddle

chuckle2

adjectivechuckle (comparative more chuckle, superlative most chuckle)

comparative more chuckle · superlative most chuckle

  1. obsoleteClumsy.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA quiet laugh.

Similar
chortlegigglesniggertitter

verbTo fondle; to indulge or pamper.

Similar
gropecoddle
Similar
pettouch upposset

More synonyms by meaning

nouna soft partly suppressed laugh

Similar
chortle
Broader
laughlaughter

verblaugh quietly or with restraint

Similar
chortlelaugh softly
Broader
laughexpress joyexpress mirth
Also see
canoodlecaresschortlecoaxdallyfondlegrabblelaughpampershiftworship

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

chuckle · noun, verb

From chuck (“laugh”) + -le.

Full word history & related roots →

chuckle · adjective

Perhaps from chock (“a log”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic إِهْلَاس
  • إِهْلَاس (ʔihlās)a quiet laugh
Bulgarian кискане, хихикане
  • кискане (kiskane)a quiet laugh
  • хихикане (hihikane)a quiet laugh
  • кискам се (kiskam se)to laugh quietly or inwardly
  • хихикам (hihikam)to laugh quietly or inwardly
  • кудкудякам (kudkudjakam)to make the sound of chicken
Chinese Mandarin 暗笑
  • 暗笑 (ànxiào)to laugh quietly or inwardly
Dutch gegrinnik, grinniken
  • gegrinnika quiet laugh
  • grinnikento laugh quietly or inwardly
  • kakelento make the sound of chicken
Esperanto subridi
  • subridito laugh quietly or inwardly
Finnish hekottaa, myhäillä
  • hekottaato laugh quietly or inwardly
  • myhäilläto laugh quietly or inwardly
  • kaakattaato make the sound of chicken
French ricanerie, ricanement
  • ricaneriea quiet laugh
  • ricanementa quiet laugh
  • ricanerto laugh quietly or inwardly
  • glousserto make the sound of chicken
German Kichern, kichern
  • Kicherna quiet laugh
  • kichernto laugh quietly or inwardly
Hebrew גִּחֵךְ
  • גִּחֵךְ (giẖéch)to laugh quietly or inwardly
Hungarian kuncogás, kuncog
  • kuncogása quiet laugh
  • kuncogto laugh quietly or inwardly
Japanese くすくす笑い, けらけら笑う
  • くすくす笑い (kusu-kusu warai)a quiet laugh
  • けらけら笑う (kerakera warau)to laugh quietly or inwardly
Norwegian klukklatter, klukkle
  • klukklattera quiet laugh
  • klukkleto laugh quietly or inwardly
  • småleto laugh quietly or inwardly
  • sitte og more segto laugh quietly or inwardly
  • klukketo make the sound of chicken
Polish chichot, chichotać
  • chichota quiet laugh
  • chichotaćto laugh quietly or inwardly
Portuguese gracejar
  • gracejarto laugh quietly or inwardly
Romanian chicot, chicoti
  • chicota quiet laugh
  • chicotito laugh quietly or inwardly
  • cotcodăcito make the sound of chicken
Russian хихи́канье, хихи́кать
  • хихи́канье (xixíkanʹje)a quiet laugh
  • хихи́кать (xixíkatʹ)to laugh quietly or inwardly
  • хихи́кнуть (xixíknutʹ)to laugh quietly or inwardly
  • посме́иваться (posméivatʹsja)to laugh quietly or inwardly
  • усмехаться (usmexatʹsja)to laugh quietly or inwardly
  • усмехнуться (usmexnutʹsja)to laugh quietly or inwardly
  • куда́хтать (kudáxtatʹ)to make the sound of chicken
Slovak chichot
  • chichota quiet laugh
Spanish reír entre dientes, cocorear
  • reír entre dientesto laugh quietly or inwardly
  • cocorearto make the sound of chicken
  • cacarearto make the sound of chicken
Swedish skrocka, kackla
  • skrockato laugh quietly or inwardly
  • kacklato make the sound of chicken
Tamil கொக்கரி
  • கொக்கரி (kokkari)to make the sound of chicken
Vietnamese cười khúc khích, cười khúc khích
  • cười khúc khícha quiet laugh
  • cười khúc khíchto laugh quietly or inwardly

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with chuckle

buckleknucklebuccalsucklemuckletruckleunbuckleruckleanterobuccalaxiobuccalcerebrobuccalcircumbuccaldorsobuccalextrabuccalgingivobuccalinfrabuccalintrabuccalmany a mickle makes a mucklemesobuccalmidbuccalnasobuccalnonbuccalocclusobuccalorobuccal
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

chuckle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chuckle

MLA

“chuckle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chuckle. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chuckle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chuckle.

Source: chuckle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.