as in giggles
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement
a quick chuckle at the funny comment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in laughs
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
everyone dutifully chuckled at the professor's intended jokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chuckles
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
26 June 2026
Even Saturday Night Live’s reigning king of smarm, Colin Jost, playing a henpecked husband, got some chuckles out of me.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
And what begins as a clever, high-concept joke doesn’t always build beyond a steady stream of chuckles.
—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
The line was met with one or two chuckles from the hearing room, which was at capacity.
—
Kevin Breuninger,jeff Cox,alex Harring,matt Peterson,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Premium cable, with its grit and cursing and nudity, is not the natural habitat of an actor who thrives on the chuckles of studio audiences.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
17 Mar. 2026
His children's reflections were poetic in the style of the late civil rights icon — filled with prayer, tears and a few chuckles, including about disagreements that occur when growing up in a large, lively family.
—
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
His children’s reflections were poetic in the style of the late civil rights icon — filled with prayer, tears and a few chuckles, including about disagreements that occur when growing up in a large, lively family.
—
Sophia Tareen,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Between chuckles and jokes, two middle schoolers hovered over a pan heating on an electric stove.
—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Feb. 2026
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
In a conference room at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno,California, CEO Neal Mohan chuckles.
—
Rashi Shrivastava,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
When asked if Mikita shares his need for tidiness, Ferguson chuckles.
—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
8 June 2026
Krystn Maher chuckles, not wanting to discourage them.
—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2026
Dan Monson chuckles now at the memory.
—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
21 Mar. 2026
Unfolding with an immersive pace to earn our attention and chuckles throughout, the film’s opening sequence is its most brilliant, with an employee of a beer bottling factory in the Midwest dropping his vape on the ledges of fast-moving machinery.
—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Calloway chuckles but also notes that greater awareness of things like organic corn and local sourcing has helped change perception over time.
—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
To all of this, Smith chuckles.
—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
There was a point in Patrick Paul’s ascension last season where his smirk, his hearty chuckles irritated, if not frustrated his opponents to the point of anger.
—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
26 June 2026
Even Saturday Night Live’s reigning king of smarm, Colin Jost, playing a henpecked husband, got some chuckles out of me.
—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
And what begins as a clever, high-concept joke doesn’t always build beyond a steady stream of chuckles.
—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
The line was met with one or two chuckles from the hearing room, which was at capacity.
—
Kevin Breuninger,jeff Cox,alex Harring,matt Peterson,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Premium cable, with its grit and cursing and nudity, is not the natural habitat of an actor who thrives on the chuckles of studio audiences.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
17 Mar. 2026
His children's reflections were poetic in the style of the late civil rights icon — filled with prayer, tears and a few chuckles, including about disagreements that occur when growing up in a large, lively family.
—
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
His children’s reflections were poetic in the style of the late civil rights icon — filled with prayer, tears and a few chuckles, including about disagreements that occur when growing up in a large, lively family.
—
Sophia Tareen,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Between chuckles and jokes, two middle schoolers hovered over a pan heating on an electric stove.
—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
Burrus chuckles at the quirky things his buddy would do at these parties.
—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
In a conference room at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno,California, CEO Neal Mohan chuckles.
—
Rashi Shrivastava,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
When asked if Mikita shares his need for tidiness, Ferguson chuckles.
—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
8 June 2026
Krystn Maher chuckles, not wanting to discourage them.
—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2026
Dan Monson chuckles now at the memory.
—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
21 Mar. 2026
Unfolding with an immersive pace to earn our attention and chuckles throughout, the film’s opening sequence is its most brilliant, with an employee of a beer bottling factory in the Midwest dropping his vape on the ledges of fast-moving machinery.
—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Calloway chuckles but also notes that greater awareness of things like organic corn and local sourcing has helped change perception over time.
—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
To all of this, Smith chuckles.
—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chuckles
Noun
-
Admittedly, Carmy is not exactly a bucket of giggles in this episode, or, really, in any episode.
-
These giggles evolved to best suit animals’ different social lives, said Brittany Florkiewicz, who studies animal communication at Lyon College and had no role in the new research.
Verb
-
Clive Davis was the most humble man in the music business [laughs].
-
Kylie laughs and throws another cupful.
Noun
-
There were snickers from some of the other students, including a tall and lank-haired kid whose name Adele didn’t know.
-
The event also had free opportunities to take photos, get ice cream snickers and have earned a Super Bowl post card.
Noun
-
There were waves of guffaws and, also, supportive finger-snapping.
-
Expect guffaws, and bring tissues.
Cite this Entry
“Chuckles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chuckles. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
