chuckle

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃʌkəl/

  Rhymes: -ʌkəl

Etymology 1

From chuck +‎ -le.

Noun

chuckle (plural chuckles)

1. A quiet laugh.

Synonyms

• chortle
• giggle
• snigger
• titter

Translations

a quiet laugh

• Bulgarian: кискане (bg) n (kiskane), хихикане (bg) (hihikane)
• Dutch: gegrinnik (nl)
• French: ricanerie (fr) f
• German: Kichern (de) n
• Hungarian: kuncogás (hu)
• Ido: kluko (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: くすくす笑い (くすくすわらい, kusu-kusu warai)
• Norwegian: klukklatter m
• Polish: chichot (pl) m
• Russian: хихи́канье (ru) n (xixíkanʹje)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

Verb

1. To laugh quietly or inwardly.
2. (transitive) To communicate through chuckling.

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

3. (intransitive, archaic) To make the sound of a chicken; to cluck.
4. (transitive, archaic) To call together, or call to follow, as a hen calls her chickens; to cluck.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of John Dryden to this entry?)

5. (transitive, archaic) To fondle; to indulge or pamper.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of John Dryden to this entry?)

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:laugh

Translations

to laugh quietly or inwardly

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: кискам се (kiskam se), хихикам (bg) (hihikam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 暗笑 (zh) (ànxiào)

• Dutch: grinniken (nl)
• Esperanto: subridi
• Finnish: hekottaa (fi), myhäillä (fi)
• French: ricaner (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: kichern (de)
• Hungarian: kuncog (hu)
• Ido: klukar (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: けらけら笑う (けらけらわらう, kerakera warau)
• Kannada: pisu nagu
• Khmer: សើចក្នុងពោះ (saǝc knoŋ pʊəh), សើចលាក់ (saǝc leak)
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: klukkle, småle, sitte og more seg
• Polish: chichotać
• Portuguese: gracejar (pt)
• Russian: хихи́кать (ru) impf (xixíkatʹ), хихи́кнуть (ru) pf (xixíknutʹ), посме́иваться (ru) impf (posméivatʹsja)
• Spanish: reír entre dientes
• Swedish: skrocka (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: cười khúc khích

to make the sound of chicken

• Bulgarian: кудкудякам (kudkudjakam)
• Dutch: kakelen (nl)
• Finnish: kaakattaa (fi)
• French: glousser (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: klukke
• Russian: куда́хтать (ru) impf (kudáxtatʹ)
• Spanish: cocorear
• Swedish: kackla (sv)

Etymology 2

Perhaps from chock (“a log”).

Adjective

chuckle (comparative more chuckle, superlative most chuckle)

1. (obsolete) Clumsy.

Derived terms

• chucklehead