DictionaryAI

chortle

CHOR-tuhl/ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/UKCHAW-tuhl/ˈt͡ʃɔːtəl/

Verbchortles, chortling, chortled

Noun pluralchortles

3 meanings of chortle

Practice

  1. 1
    laugh happilyverbintransitive
    To laugh joyfully in a somewhat muffled way, with a sound like a snorting chuckle.

    My uncle chortled as he read the cartoon in the Sunday paper.

    She tried not to chortle when the boss's slides came up upside down.

    Similarchuckle, laugh, snicker, giggle

    Note

    Carroll's own use was the verb, closing a burst of joyful nonsense: “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” He chortled in his joy.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Carroll used the word as a verb. gutenberg.org
    • The quotation accurately reproduces the joyful speaker's exclamation and the following narrative line in Carroll's Jabberwocky. gutenberg.org
  2. 2
    happy laughnouncountable
    A gleeful laugh, partly stifled, that resembles a snorting chuckle.

    He read the letter twice and let out a chortle of delight.

    The comedian's driest lines drew chortles from the back rows.

    UsageOften let out a chortle or give a chortle; a chortle of delight.

    Similarchuckle, laugh, snicker

    Note

    Lewis Carroll coined it, perhaps by blending chuckle and snort, which is just the sound it names. He wrote the verb chortled into Jabberwocky, and readers first met it in Through the Looking-Glass, on sale for Christmas 1871. It has since left nonsense verse behind and is an ordinary word for gleeful laughter.

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  3. 3
    bird soundnouncountable
    A sound made by various birds that resembles a muffled, snorting chuckle.

    A low chortle came from the reeds, where a pair of water birds were feeding.

    Throaty chortles drifted over the marsh as the birds settled for the night.

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Origin

Coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, begun in 1855 but first made public in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass. It is perhaps a blend of chuckle and snort.

Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

  • Lewis Carroll coined chortle in his poem Jabberwocky. open.edu
  • Only the first stanza dates from 1855; the full poem was completed later. en.wikipedia.org
  • The complete poem first appeared publicly in Carroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass in 1871. en.wikipedia.org
  • Chortle may blend chuckle and snort. en.wiktionary.org