I. ˈsnikə(r) verb
or snig·ger ˈsnigə(r)
( snickered or sniggered ; snickered or sniggered ; snickering -k(ə)riŋ ; or sniggering -g(ə)riŋ ; snickers or sniggers )
Etymology: imitative
intransitive verb
1. : to laugh in a slight, covert, or partly suppressed manner (as in derision or from embarrassment)
they snicker at my graftin', and I laugh in my sleeve … at their penetration — T.C.Haliburton
a fantastic caricature of the Edwardian dandy his grandfather probably snickered at — P.D.Whitney
like a small boy taking you into a corner to snigger at a bawdy story — H.J.Laski
: titter
chuckled at his readers, snickered at his correspondents, smiled at his own folly — Martin Gardner
2. : to make a sound like a snicker
the irreverent red squirrels … run and snicker at my approach — John Burroughs
transitive verb
: to utter with or express by a snicker
II. noun
or snigger “
( -s )
: an act or sound of snickering : a slight, covert, or half-stifled laugh
from innuendo, a dropped word here and there, a sly, meaningful snicker — H.A.Sinclair
raises in you a snicker of derision, a smile of superiority — J.M.Barzun