snicker
UK /ˈsnɪk.ə(ɹ)/ · US /ˈsnɪkɚ/ noun, verb
Also a form of snigger
Forms snickers snickering snickered snigger
- noun A stifled or broken laugh.
- verb (intransitive) To emit a snicker, a stifled or broken laugh.
- verb (transitive) To utter through a laugh of this kind.
- verb (of a horse) To whinny.
- noun (cricket, rare) A player who snicks the ball.
Synonyms
Etymology
US variant of the British snigger, possibly of onomatopoeic origin, similar to Dutch snikken (“to gasp; sob”). The noun is first recorded 1836, from the verb. Compare also Scottish smicker (“to smile or laugh in a sniggering or leery way, smirk”). More at smicker.
From snick + -er.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To laugh slyly; to laugh in one's sleeve.
- verb To laugh with audible catches of voice, as when persons attempt to suppress loud laughter.
- noun A half suppressed, broken laugh. [Written also snigger.]
Etymology [Cf. D. snikken to sob, to sigh.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “snicker”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details