chortle
1 of 2verb
chor·tle ˈchȯr-tᵊl 
chortled; chortling ˈchȯrt-liŋ
ˈchȯr-tᵊl-iŋ
intransitive verb
1
: to sing or chant exultantly
he chortled in his joy
Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll2
: to laugh or chuckle especially when amused or pleased
She chortled with delight.
transitive verb
: to say or sing with a chortling intonation
"… nothing whatever to worry about," he chortled merrily. Kevin Myers
Kevin Myers chortler
ˈchȯrt-lər
noun ˈchȯr-tᵊl-ər
chortle
2 of 2noun
plural chortles
: a laugh or chuckle expressing pleasure or amusement
a chortle of delight
I hear a catbird's bubbling notes, sounding like the bird is half strangling itself to get them out, the rapid-tonguing chortle of a red-bellied woodpecker … John P. Wiley Jr.
John P. Wiley Jr.The grin escalates into a chuckle, the chuckle to a chortle. Robert Palm
Robert Palm
Synonyms
Verb
- break up
- cackle
- chuckle
- crack up
- giggle
- hee-haw
- laugh
- roar
- scream
- snicker
- titter
Noun
- belly laugh
- boff
- boffo
- boffola
- cachinnation
- cackle
- chuckle
- giggle
- guffaw
- hee-haw
- horselaugh
- laugh
- laughter
- snicker
- snigger
- titter
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb He chortled, “You're going to love this.” audiences might chortle gently during the movie's amusing bits, but there are few knee-slappers
Recent Examples on the Web Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 29 Apr. 2022 Critics understandably chortle but the paper perhaps is resurrecting itself for a serious moment. Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 22 Mar. 2022 It’s not every day that an American president and a foreign dictator chortle together over the IQ of an American former vice president. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 20 Oct. 2020 So, yes, by all means chortle and smirk online at the consensual private trespasses of Jerry Falwell Jr., yet another great Protestant hypocrite laid low. Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 25 Aug. 2020 My year-old daughter is chortling, making silly faces with my mom. Bridget Shirvell, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020 There are a host of other chortling jack-o-lanterns as well, usually including an enormous one shooting flames from the top of its roasting head, an effect created by soaking toilet paper rolls in kerosene. M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2019 Klobuchar contrasted her big picture talk with stories of her family’s humble roots — her grandfather was a miner, who used a coffee can to save for her father’s future — and kept the crowd chortling with jokes. NBC News, 3 Feb. 2020 Strong reactions to the 2019 musical should be evident over the next seven days at Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema, during nine screenings that encourage audience members to heckle, chortle and sing along. Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 24 Jan. 2020 See More
Verb
The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah has been booked to tell the jokes that everyone will chortle over at first, then complain about later. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 29 Apr. 2022 Critics understandably chortle but the paper perhaps is resurrecting itself for a serious moment. Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 22 Mar. 2022 It’s not every day that an American president and a foreign dictator chortle together over the IQ of an American former vice president. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 20 Oct. 2020 So, yes, by all means chortle and smirk online at the consensual private trespasses of Jerry Falwell Jr., yet another great Protestant hypocrite laid low. Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 25 Aug. 2020 My year-old daughter is chortling, making silly faces with my mom. Bridget Shirvell, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020 There are a host of other chortling jack-o-lanterns as well, usually including an enormous one shooting flames from the top of its roasting head, an effect created by soaking toilet paper rolls in kerosene. M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2019 Klobuchar contrasted her big picture talk with stories of her family’s humble roots — her grandfather was a miner, who used a coffee can to save for her father’s future — and kept the crowd chortling with jokes. NBC News, 3 Feb. 2020 Strong reactions to the 2019 musical should be evident over the next seven days at Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema, during nine screenings that encourage audience members to heckle, chortle and sing along. Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 24 Jan. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
probably blend of chuckle and snort
First Known Use
Verb
1871, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1891, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
chortle
verb
chor·tle ˈchȯr-tᵊl
chortled; chortling
: to chuckle in amusement or joy
He chortled with delight.
chortling
verb
as in laughing
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound audiences might chortle gently during the movie's amusing bits, but there are few knee-slappers Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- laughing
- giggling
- chuckling
- screaming
- snickering
- grinning
- smiling
- cackling
- tittering
- roaring
- twittering
- hee-hawing
- cracking up
- splitting one's sides
- breaking up
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- howling
- crying
- sobbing
- weeping
- wailing
- bawling
- blubbering
- whining
- whimpering
- groaning
- bleating
- sighing
- moaning
- sniffling
- yowling
- squalling
- sniveling
- snivelling
- puling