I. ˈchəkəl intransitive verb
chuckled ; chuckled ; chuckling -k(ə)liŋ ; chuckles
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably freq. of chuck (I)
1. : to laugh convulsively (as with marked heaving of the shoulders)
this breezy approach … soon had the reader racing along, chuckling — J.M.Chase
2. : to laugh inwardly or quietly
hummed snatches of some vagrant melody and chuckled at some private joke — Harold Sinclair
3. : to make a continuous gentle sound resembling suppressed mirth (as of a wobbling millstone or a brook over stones)
sometimes there were sunny rips where the clear bright water chuckled over gravel — B.A.Williams
II. noun
( -s )
: a quiet hardly audible laugh (as of satisfaction, appreciation of humor, exultation, or derision) : chuckling
the gladsome chuckle of the announcer as he archly nears the commercial — Bergen Evans
a photographer gets a picture that gives a chuckle to thousands of perspiring readers — F.L.Mott
III. adjective
Etymology: perhaps irregular from chuck (V)
obsolete : clumsy , stupid