Meanings
snicker1
present singular third person snickers · participle present snickering · participle past snickered · past snickered · alternative snigger
- intransitiveTo emit a snicker, a stifled or broken laugh.
I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, / And in short, I was afraid.
1915 June, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, in Prufrock and Other Observations, London: The Egoist […], published 1917, →OCLC, page 13 - transitiveTo utter through a laugh of this kind.
- To whinny.
snicker2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
snicker · noun, verb
US variant of the British snigger, possibly of onomatopoeic origin, similar to Dutch snikken (“to gasp; sob”). The noun is first recorded 1836, from the verb. Compare also Scottish smicker (“to smile or laugh in a sniggering or leery way, smirk”). More at smicker.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian подсмиване, хихикане
- подсмиване (podsmivane)stifled laugh
- хихикане (hihikane)stifled laugh
- хихикам (hihikam)to emit a snicker
- подсмивам се (podsmivam se)to emit a snicker
Czech hihňání, pochechtávání
- hihňánístifled laugh
- pochechtávánístifled laugh
- hihňat seto emit a snicker
- pochechtávat seto emit a snicker
Esperanto klukridi
- klukridito emit a snicker
Finnish hihitys, hihittää
- hihitysstifled laugh
- hihittääto emit a snicker
French ricanement, ricaner
- ricanementstifled laugh
- ricanerto emit a snicker
German Kichern, Gekicher
- Kichernstifled laugh
- Gekicherstifled laugh
- kichernto emit a snicker
Italian risatina
- risatinastifled laugh
Polish chichot, chichotać
- chichotstifled laugh
- chichotaćto emit a snicker
Portuguese casquinar
- casquinarto emit a snicker
Romanian chicoti
- chicotito emit a snicker
Russian хихиканье, смешок
- хихиканье (xixikanʹje)stifled laugh
- смешок (smešok)stifled laugh
- сдавленный смех (sdavlennyj smex)stifled laugh
Spanish risita, reír disimuladamente
- risitastifled laugh
- reír disimuladamenteto emit a snicker
Swedish fniss, fnissa
- fnissstifled laugh
- fnissato emit a snicker
Tagalog hagikgik, hagikgik
- hagikgikstifled laugh
- hagikgikto emit a snicker
- humagikgikto emit a snicker
Turkish kişneme, kıs kıs gülmek
- kişnemestifled laugh
- kıs kıs gülmekto emit a snicker
- kişnemekto emit a snicker
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with snicker
Anagrams
Cite this entry
snicker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snicker
“snicker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snicker. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “snicker,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snicker.
Source: snicker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.