chortle

Plural: chortles

Noun

• a soft partly suppressed laugh
• A joyful, somewhat muffled laugh, rather like a snorting chuckle.
• A similar sounding vocalisation of various birds.

Verb

Verb Forms: chortled, chortling, chortles

• To chuckle or snort with amusement and glee.
• laugh quietly or with restraint
• To laugh with a chortle or chortles.

Examples

• He couldn’t help but chortle silently after playing a word his opponent certainly wouldn’t know.
• He frequently interrupted himself with chortles while he told us his favorite joke.
• The old fellow chortled as he recalled his youthful adventures.

Synonyms

chuckle, laugh softly

Anagrams of chortle