chortled; chortling
ˈchȯrt-liŋ,
ˈchȯr-tᵊl-iŋ
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.
: to say or sing with a chortling intonation
"… nothing whatever to worry about," he chortled merrily.—Kevin Myers
Kevin Myers
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 PalmSynonyms
Examples of chortle in a Sentence
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
Noun
the joke provoked a sudden chortle from a bystander
Recent Examples on the WebEdward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 May 2024
Her son had often suggested that the Investigative Committee investigate itself and chortled at the absurdity.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
On the 101 in my bumper-car Prius, there’s one billboard that invariably gets a chortle out of me.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chortle 
Verb
So skeptics may chortle at do-gooder liberals’ NIMBY uproar as being hoisted on their own petards, so to speak.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 May 2024
Her son had often suggested that the Investigative Committee investigate itself and chortled at the absurdity.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
And so the two men, wielding their mockery, make a show of each chortle and smirk.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
On the 101 in my bumper-car Prius, there’s one billboard that invariably gets a chortle out of me.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chortle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chortle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Chortle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chortle. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chortle
verb
chor·tle
ˈchȯrt-əl
chortled; chortling
ˈchȯrt-(ə-)liŋ
: to chuckle especially in satisfaction
chortle
noun
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