chuckle Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a soft partly suppressed laugh
    chortle.
  2. verb laugh quietly or with restraint
    chortle; laugh softly.

WordNet

Chuc"kle transitive verb
Etymology
From lst Chuck.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Chuckled ; present participle & verbal noun Chuckling
Definitions
  1. To call, as a hen her chickens; to cluck. Obs. Dryden.
  2. To fondle; to cocker. Obs. Dryden.
Chuc"kle noun
Definitions
  1. A short, suppressed laugh; the expression of satisfaction, exultation, or derision.
Chuc"kle intransitive verb
Etymology
From lst Chuck.
Definitions
  1. To laugh in a suppressed or broken manner, as expressing inward satisfaction, exultation, or derision.

Webster 1913