giggle

English

Etymology

Unknown. Perhaps a frequentative based on dialectal English gig (“to creak”), from Middle English gigen (“to make a creaking sound”) +‎ -le; or perhaps of Dutch or Low German origin: compare Saterland Frisian güüchelje (“to giggle”), West Frisian giechelje (“to giggle”), Dutch giechelen (“to giggle”), German Low German giecheln (“to giggle”), dialectal German giggln, gigglen (“to giggle”), German gickeln (“to giggle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɪɡl̩/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪɡəl

Verb

giggle (third-person singular simple present giggles, present participle giggling, simple past and past participle giggled)

1. To laugh gently in a nervous or affected manner.

   The jokes had them giggling like little girls all evening.

Synonyms

• (laugh in a silly way): titter
• See also Thesaurus:laugh

Derived terms

• church giggles
• giggler
• gigglesome
• giggly

Translations

laugh

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

  Mandarin: 傻笑 (zh) (shǎxiào), 痴笑 (zh) (chīxiào), 嘻 (zh) (xī)

• Danish: fnise
• Dutch: giechelen (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: itsitama
• Finnish: kikattaa (fi), tirskua
• French: glousser (fr)
• Galician: rir (gl)
• Georgian: ხითხითებს (xitxitebs), ხითხითი (xitxiti)
• German: kichern (de)
• Greek: χαχανίζω (el) (chachanízo)

  Ancient: κιχλίζω (kikhlízō)

• Hungarian: kuncog (hu), vihog (hu)
• Italian: ridacchiare (it)
• Japanese: くすくす笑う (kusukusu warau), けらけら笑う (kerakera warau)

• Kannada: vyangya nage (vyangya nage), kisi (kisi), kisiyuvudu (kisiyuvudu)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: кикоти (kikoti), се кикоти (se kikoti)
• Maori: tīhohe, tīhohehohe, kata tīhohehohe
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: fnise (no), knise (no)
• Persian: ریسه رفتن‎ (rise raftan)
• Polish: chichotać (pl)
• Portuguese: dar risadinhas
• Romanian: chicoti (ro)
• Russian: хихи́кать (ru) impf (xixíkatʹ), хихи́кнуть (ru) pf (xixíknutʹ)
• Spanish: reír (es)
• Swedish: fnittra (sv), fnissa (sv)
• Tagalog: bungisngis
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: kıkırdamak (tr)
• Ukrainian: хихи́кати impf (xyxýkaty)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: כיכיקען‎ (khikhiken)

Noun

giggle (plural giggles)

1. A high-pitched, silly laugh.
2. (informal) Fun; an amusing episode.

   We put itching powder down his shirt for giggles.

   The women thought it would be quite a giggle to have a strippergram at the bride's hen party.

Synonyms

• (laugh): titter
• (amusement): amusement, fun, a joke, a laugh or laughs

Derived terms

• shits and giggles

Translations

laugh

• Bulgarian: кикот (bg) m (kikot), хихикане (bg) n (hihikane)
• Catalan: rialleta f
• Danish: fnis n
• Dutch: gegiechel (nl) n
• Finnish: kikatus (fi)
• French: gloussement (fr) m
• Galician: risiña f
• Georgian: ხითხითი (xitxiti)
• German: Gekicher n
• Greek: χάχανο (el) n (cháchano)

• Macedonian: кикот m (kikot), кикотница f (kikotnica)
• Norwegian: fnising c, knising c
• Persian: ریسه‎ (fa) (rise)
• Polish: chichot (pl) m
• Portuguese: risadinha f
• Russian: хихи́канье (ru) n (xixíkanʹje)
• Turkish: kıkırdama (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

informal: amusement