snicker

1 of 2

verb

snick·​er ˈsni-kər 

snickered; snickering ˈsni-k(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to laugh in a covert or partly suppressed manner : titter

snickerer

ˈsni-kər-ər 

noun

snickery

ˈsni-k(ə-)rē 

adjective

snicker

2 of 2

noun

: an act or sound of snickering

Synonyms

Verb

• laugh
• smile
• sneer
• snigger

Noun

• belly laugh
• boff
• boffo
• boffola
• cachinnation
• cackle
• chortle
• chuckle
• giggle
• guffaw
• hee-haw
• horselaugh
• laugh
• laughter
• snigger
• titter
• twitter

Examples of snicker in a Sentence

Verb

he snickered at the puzzled look on her face

Noun

a snicker of derision when we heard their offer on the house

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

His fans gave him an obliging laugh; a father and son sitting beside me snickered loudly enough to be captured on camera. —Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025

At the same time, there's something undeniably intoxicating about the pull of them being together, singing a song, snickering at inside jokes, making the kind of observations that only someone who has known you your whole life can. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2024

Noun

So he must be placed in the Apparition section, next to ghosts like John Barron, sharing a snicker with Ivana. —Greg Marotta, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025

There are private snickers about the offense’s lack of imagination, the team’s absence of leadership and the dearth of talent. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1694, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1835, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

snicker

1 of 2 verb

snick·​er ˈsnik-ər 

snickered; snickering -(ə-)riŋ 

: to give a small and often mean or sly laugh

snicker

2 of 2 noun

: an act or sound of snickering