cackles 1 of 2

noun

plural of cackle
as in chuckles
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement erupted in a high-pitched cackle at the absurdity of the suggestion

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cackles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cackle
1
as in chats
to engage in casual or rambling conversation a group of old friends who met regularly to laugh and cackle about their glory days

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in laughs
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound she cackled with glee when her tax-evading neighbor finally got caught

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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 cackles
Noun
The doc is similarly unflinching in showing the horrific scene from 1900 in which Donald Sutherland’s sadistic fascist murders a young boy in a shockingly callous way, while Laura Betti as his equal in cruelty dissolves into blood-curdling cackles. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 Her performance presents as camp, but her dynamic range of loud cackles and quiet glances is fabulous. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 One minute later, cackles rippled through my eardrums at a higher decibel than before. — Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026 As evening falls, the clink of pints and bursts of cackles spill from Pat Collins Pub—where locals swap stories to the rhythm of fiddle tunes beneath an Irish twilight. — Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
Aegon cackles with glee as Tyland ducks to the ground and his enemies snap, crackle, pop in the night. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026 SpongeBob cackles on a television lodged behind shatterproof glass. — Ashley Andreou, STAT, 22 June 2026 Kōnane cackles with the frayed voice of a centuries-old elder. — Matt Negrin, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025 But her signature cackles always give up the game. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cackles
  1. chuckles
  2. chats
  3. laughs
  4. giggles
  5. talks
  6. screams
  7. snickers
  8. converses
Noun
  • Toward the end of the panel, Buttimer noted that Connaughton would have wanted to argue with each speaker, drawing chuckles from the audience.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Wickersham says, with only the slightest of chuckles, that every quarterback is something of a sociopath and likens them to politicians in the middle of a race.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of chuckles
Verb
  • Afterward, everyone chats for a little while—a manageable dose of socializing for people who’d rather not work a crowded room.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Shuenemeyer regularly chats with other arborists from Maine to Washington, looking to identify and catalog historic varieties of apples.
    — Kevin Strong, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of chats
Verb
  • Be the man who chases, not the man who laughs with the group.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The narrator assumes his gift for retail politics will charm his old friend; Micah laughs in his face.
    — Ryan Chapman, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of laughs
Noun
  • Whittler kept trying to make it through the broadcast, but couldn’t contain her giggles.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Her giggles kept interrupting the tune through much of her performance, and soon Pioneer Hall was laughing with her and cheering her through it.
    — Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of giggles
Verb
  • Jack Wolf Westwood Lincoln Riley talks a big game about excelling in the Big Ten, but in losing badly to Oregon and its backup quarterback, USC probably couldn’t win the Pac-12 this year.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • An agent that confidently approves the wrong payment, escalates an unstable interaction or quietly talks a user into a bad decision belongs in a different category.
    — Puneet Gaur, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of talks
Verb
  • Set the scene The Homestead screams quirky, artful, and vintage yet restored—capturing a whimsical, fairytale ambiance embellished with hints of Southern charm.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The issue, of course, stems from the sound of rider screams from the coaster drifting into the residential area.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of screams
Noun
  • As executed, the 2019 show is an emotional yet refreshingly unsentimental black comedy that snickers in the face of empowerment buzzwords like, well, healing journey.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • There were snickers from some of the other students, including a tall and lank-haired kid whose name Adele didn’t know.
    — Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Definition of snickers
Verb
  • Entire product categories that were barely imaginable in 2020 are now weekend projects such as a tutor that converses in Mandarin, a paralegal that drafts and redlines, and a designer that produces forty variations before lunch.
    — Michael Wee, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Epstein converses with Summers Larry Summers, Clinton’s Treasury secretary and the director of the National Economic Council under former President Obama, corresponded with Epstein numerous times via email.
    — Max Rego, The Hill, 13 Nov. 2025
Definition of converses

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Cite this Entry

“Cackles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cackles. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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