Meaning & use
chuckle
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To laugh quietly or briefly, usually in a restrained or private way.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at or about: chuckle at a joke.
Patterns
- chuckle at something
- chuckle about something
- chuckle to oneself
She chuckled at his silly joke.
He chuckled quietly to himself as he read the message.
The audience chuckled when the actor forgot his lines.
nouncountable
A quiet or brief laugh, often showing mild amusement.
Grammar: Countable; use a chuckle or chuckles: She gave a low chuckle.
Patterns
- give a chuckle
- with a chuckle
- a low chuckle
He gave a soft chuckle and shook his head.
Her joke drew a few chuckles from the group.
I heard a chuckle from the next room.
Word forms
| third person singular | chuckles |
|---|---|
| past tense | chuckled |
| past participle | chuckled |
| -ing form | chuckling |
Common combinations
- chuckle at
- They chuckled at the cartoon.
- chuckle to oneself
- She chuckled to herself while cooking.
- a quiet chuckle
- He let out a quiet chuckle.
- chuckle softly
- The old man chuckled softly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- giggle
- Suggests a higher, repeated laugh, often from nervousness or childish amusement; chuckle is lower and more controlled.
- laugh
- A general word for any loud or open laughter; chuckle is quieter and more restrained.
- snicker
- Often implies a half-hidden, sometimes unkind laugh; chuckle is usually warmer and not unkind.
Word family
- chuckling noun
- The act or sound of laughing quietly.
Practice
Choose the best word to complete the sentence: She _______ at the funny text message.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'chuckled' matches the past time of the sentence. 'Chuckle' is the base form and would need a helper like 'did'; 'chuckling' needs a form of 'be'; 'chuckles' is present tense and does not fit the past context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chuckle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.