snicker

snicker

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsnɪk.ə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsnɪkɚ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkə(r)

Etymology 1

US variant of the British snigger, possibly of imitative 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.

Alternative forms

• snigger

Noun

snicker (plural snickers)

1. A stifled or broken laugh.

Translations

stifled laugh

Finnish: hihitys (fi) French: ricanement (fr) m German: Kichern n, Gekicher n Italian: risatina (it) f

Polish: chichot (pl) m Spanish: risa disimulada f Tagalog: hagikgik Turkish: kişneme (tr)

Verb

snicker (third-person singular simple present snickers, present participle snickering, simple past and past participle snickered)

1. (intransitive) To emit a snicker, a stifled or broken laugh.
   • 1915, T.S. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock":

     I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker […]

2. (transitive) To utter through a laugh of this kind.
3. (of a horse) To whinny.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:laugh

Translations

to emit a snicker

Finnish: hihittää (fi) French: ricaner (fr) German: kichern (de) Polish: chichot (pl) Portuguese: casquinar

Romanian: a chicoti Spanish: reír disimuladamente Tagalog: hagikgik, humagikgik Turkish: kıs kıs gülmek, kişnemek (tr)

Etymology 2

snick +‎ -er

Noun

snicker (plural snickers)

1. (cricket, rare) A player who snicks the ball.

Anagrams

• Kincers, Renicks, Resnick, nickers