What does "chuckle" mean?

1. (to laugh quietly) to laugh quietly, often because you are thinking about something funny or trying to be polite. 2. (a quiet laugh) a short, quiet laugh. 3. (to cluck like a hen) to make the sound of a chicken.

chuckle

v. · n.

US //ˈtʃəkəɫ// UK //tʃˈʌkəl// chuck·le

1 to laugh quietly (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to laugh quietly, often because you are thinking about something funny or trying to be polite.

to laugh in a quiet or suppressed manner, often expressive of internal amusement or satisfaction.

Example

He read the funny text message and started to chuckle to himself.

Example

The professor chuckled softly at the student's clever observation, acknowledging the wit without disrupting the flow of the seminar.
- giggle
- titter
- snicker
- guffaw
- roar
2 a quiet laugh (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a short, quiet laugh.

a quiet or suppressed act of laughter.

Example

The joke was not hilarious, but it gave everyone a little chuckle.

Example

A low chuckle escaped his lips as he watched the puppy unsuccessfully attempt to climb onto the velvet sofa.
- giggle
- chortle

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3 to cluck like a hen (v.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic

to make the sound of a chicken.

to produce the characteristic sound of a hen; to cluck.

Example

In the old story, the mother hen would chuckle to call her babies.

Example

The prose described how the poultry would chuckle and scratch in the dirt of the courtyard during the heat of the afternoon.
- cluck

Etymology 1

From chuck (“laugh”) + -le.

Etymology 2

Perhaps from chock (“a log”).