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to giggle

to giggle

153 1.0
Laugh in a silly or nervous way with short high sounds
  • verb
  • /ˈɡɪɡəl/
translation icon : reírse
  • The children giggled as they played in the sunny park.
  • make someone giggle

I'm an hour into it and I'm smiling and giggling who am I?

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Examples

  • It never ceases to make me smile or giggle for no reason.

  • My husband was still just out of sight, giggling and clapping like a kid making mud pies.

  • Boys shout to one another, and several girls giggle over a note one of them has received.

    Academic text (1996)
  • And we had so much fun shooting that I was giggling the whole time.

  • You'd stop by my desk and we would giggle for hours.

  • "When I asked her what that meant, she only giggled and put her finger to her nose."

    Academic text (2011)
  • When she began singing, the students giggled and made comments about her "silly" voice.

    Academic text (2004)
  • And the girls giggled and laughed, perhaps in order to hide their pity.

  • No matter how far apart I put you, you'll sneak back together again and spend the night giggling.

  • "Two hundred and thirty-eight?" The old man giggled, pleased at Gennaro's reaction.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

to laugh
vsto giggle
1.0

To make sounds and move your face or body because something is funny

is a specific silly nervous sound pattern, not the general act of amusement
to chuckle
vsto giggle
237 2.0

To laugh quietly to yourself when something is slightly funny

is higher pitched and more silly with repeated short sounds
to titter
vsto giggle
3 7.4

To laugh in a short nervous way at something slightly funny or awkward

is sillier and uses repeated short high sounds rather than restrained ones
to laugh softly
vsto giggle
3 1.9

To make a quiet sound because something is funny so you do not disturb others

is sillier and higher pitched rather than simply quiet or restrained

Antonyms

1.0

To let tears fall because you feel sad or hurt

Phrasal Verbs

To laugh in a way you cannot stop because you find something very funny or feel embarrassed

Compounds

hit and giggle
  • Informal
8.2

A relaxed, fun activity people do for enjoyment, not to compete

How Intense

to guffaw
4 6.5
to laugh
1.0
to giggle
153 1.0
to chuckle
237 2.0
to titter
3 7.4

Surface Forms

giggle infinitive
giggled past
giggled past participle
giggling present participle
giggles third person singular

Etymology

The word giggle comes from the sound gig-, which copies the quick, high noise people make when they laugh, like 'gig-gig'. So to giggle is to laugh in a light, silly, or nervous way.