giggle

1 of 2

verb

gig·​gle ˈgi-gəl 

giggled; giggling ˈgi-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to laugh with repeated short catches of the breath

transitive verb

: to utter with a giggle

giggler

ˈgi-g(ə-)lər 

noun

gigglingly

ˈgi-g(ə-)liŋ-lē 

adverb

giggly

ˈgi-g(ə-)lē 

adjective

giggle

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act of giggling

2

chiefly British : a source of amusement

Synonyms

Verb

• break up
• cackle
• chortle
• chuckle
• crack up
• hee-haw
• laugh
• roar
• scream
• snicker
• titter
• twitter

Noun

• boff
• boffo
• boffola
• crack
• drollery
• funny
• gag
• jape
• jest
• joke
• josh
• laugh
• nifty
• one-liner
• pleasantry
• quip
• rib
• sally
• waggery
• wisecrack
• witticism
• yuk [slang]
• yuck
• yak
• yock

Examples of giggle in a Sentence

Verb

She giggled like a little kid.

We were all joking and giggling nervously as we waited for the ceremony to begin.

Noun

poking fun at the royal family is nothing new, but this movie comedy has a few giggles you haven't heard before

couldn't help but giggle at his remark

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But, at the end of the day, the goal is to make people giggle. —Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Oct. 2024

Genevieve giggles over the uncertainty, but says that if things don’t go her way tonight, things are more or less over for her. —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 9 Oct. 2024

Noun

Teigen yelled in between giggles about her husband’s yellow sweater, white button-down shirt and blue pants. —Angela Andaloro, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024

Paranormal investigators have reportedly managed to catch the faint sound of a ball ping-ponging against walls while a mischievous voice giggles. —Brooke Bobb, Vogue, 5 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

1509, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

circa 1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

giggle

verb

gig·​gle

ˈgig-əl

giggled; giggling

-(ə-)liŋ

: to laugh with repeated short high sounds

giggle noun

giggly

-(ə-)lē

adjective