snig ‧ ger /ˈsnɪɡə $ -ər/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: snicker ]
British English to laugh quietly in a way that is not nice at something which is not supposed to be funny SYN snicker American English
snigger at
What are you sniggering at? This is a serious poem.
—snigger noun [countable]
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THESAURUS
▪ laugh to make sounds with your voice and move your face, because you think that something is funny:
He looked so funny that we couldn’t stop laughing.
▪ giggle to laugh quickly in a high voice, especially in a slightly silly way, or because you are nervous or embarrassed:
A group of teenage girls were giggling in a corner.
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She tends to giggle when she meets new people.
▪ chuckle to laugh quietly, especially because you are thinking about or reading something funny:
He was chuckling to himself over an article in the paper.
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‘We used to get up to all kinds of mischief.’ She chuckled at the memory.
▪ snigger British English , snicker American English to laugh quietly in an unkind or unpleasant way, for example when someone is hurt or embarrassed:
Billy stood up and started to sing, and one or two people sniggered.
▪ titter to laugh quietly in a high voice, especially about something that is rude or about sex, or is embarrassing for someone:
As a nation we love to titter over politicians’ sex scandals.
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schoolboys tittering over a magazine
▪ roar with laughter to laugh very loudly, especially with a deep voice:
I could hear my father roaring with laughter at something on TV.
▪ shriek with laughter to laugh very loudly, especially with a high voice:
Patsy chased him down the stairs, shrieking with laughter.
▪ howl with laughter to laugh very loudly – used especially about a group of people laughing together:
His plays have made audiences howl with laughter.
▪ in stitches laughing so much that you cannot stop:
It was such a funny film – it had us all in stitches.
▪ guffaw /ɡəˈfɔː $ -ˈfɒː/ to laugh very loudly and without trying to stop yourself:
The audience guffawed at his nonstop jokes.
▪ cackle to laugh loudly in an unpleasant way:
The old woman cackled at the trouble she was causing.