chuckling 1 of 2

adjective

as in smiling

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chuckling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of chuckle
as in laughing
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 chuckling
Verb
The Tío Xavier persona that Becerra supporters have trotted out — a kind, chuckling sage — isn’t what California needs right now. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Cubs pitcher David Peterson was coming out of the bullpen to pitch in the eighth inning after the fight took place, and the umpires were chuckling. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 In a New York Times interview, producer Tyran Donaldson, who has also worked with SZA, recalled chuckling at listening to the Diamonds work with the instrument. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026 And The Rest Is Football(Netflix, YouTube) is the latest podcast to make the leap to the small screen, with former England internationals Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and the ever-chuckling Micah Richards serving up a daily helping of World Cup analysis alongside the usual chummy banter. — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026 Baffert watched it all on his laptop from California, chuckling as the board showing the horse’s price flaked out momentarily. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 1 May 2026 Jaynie Adams, historian at Arizona Historical Society, told The Arizona Republic, chuckling. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 30 Apr. 2026 Flying cows, fiddle-playing cats, and chuckling retrievers inhabit the space between ornate columns. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Apr. 2026 In early February, Raphael Bostic sat on a stage chuckling, and a bit embarrassed, while his predecessor handed him a pair of gifts. — Mirtha Donastorg, AJC.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chuckling
  1. smiling
  2. laughing
  3. amused
  4. giggling
  5. mirthful
  6. gleeful
  7. jovial
Adjective
  • Women in black hijabs and abayas, many wearing badges depicting Zahra’s smiling face, lined the streets as men prayed over her casket, placed outside the Husseiniya, a Shiite hall.
    — Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
  • As Thomas’ parents, Katina Smith and Bobby Thomas, unveiled their son’s smiling statue in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame Plaza last Sunday, as scores of his former teammates looked on in sadness and joy, Miller was 800 miles away in Dallas, gearing up for a game against the Cowboys.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of smiling
Verb
  • Just being out on the water with a good friend, laughing and trading stories is what makes a fishing trip special.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors said that the incidents were captured on camera — and that the parents could be seen laughing at times as their children were forcefully disciplined.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of laughing
Adjective
  • But laughter was also a way of maintaining some distance from what was happening, remaining the amused observer rather than the person to whom this was actually happening.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps most telling of all, Stone cuts the character of Carlotta, a governess born to circus performers who wanders through the play like a lost clown, origin-less, amused, and sad.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of amused
Verb
  • This approach worked for Jean Nelson of Pasadena, California, after her 2-year-old son, Luke, took delight in dragging toilet paper down the hall, giggling as the roll unfurled behind him.
    — Cynthia Hanson, Parents, 13 Sep. 2026
  • In the video, Hilton’s 3-year-old son Phoenix can be seen giggling as the puppy playfully chases him around the room while 2-year-old sister London looks on.
    — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of giggling
Adjective
  • Her Calla Lily sconces show her mirthful approach, also embodied in her towering egg and pear lamps.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Haim managed to put on a show that felt about 95% mirthful while still honoring the integrity of the new songs that dig emotionally deeper.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Definition of mirthful
Adjective
  • Jocelyn Bioh’s School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play isn’t a musical, but about two-thirds of the way through, there’s a sing-off that’s both a gleeful showstopper and a wry metatheatrical treat.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But the stage that Springer cultivated was a gleeful one, a tacky spectacle of shock and depravity, an ungodly home for the freaks who knew just what to do when the lights came on.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of gleeful
Adjective
  • Journalists and attendees swarmed the room at the town’s Kursaal Theater, where a jovial Pitt made his first San Sebastián appearance since the 2009 presentation of Inglourious Basterds alongside filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • With bow and arrow in hand, Anghba finds his hunt for a wild boar across a riverbank interrupted by a raft floating downstream, as former tribespeople surround a jovial American preacher (Douglas Henshall), much to the chieftain’s chagrin.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of jovial

Browse Nearby Words

chucklesome
chuckling
chuck (out)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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