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snigger

/ˈsnɪgər/
IPA guide

Other forms: sniggered; sniggering; sniggers

To snigger is to laugh scornfully, especially when you're trying to hide the fact that you're laughing. Kids might snigger when the biggest show-off in class falls over backward in his seat.

You can generally use the verbs snigger and snicker interchangeably. They both mean "to snort with partially suppressed laughter," and both imply a sense of superiority or scorn. You're most likely to snigger at someone when they're being ridiculous or foolish. Experts guess that both versions of this word are imitative in origin.

Definitions of snigger
  1. verb
    laugh quietly
    synonyms: snicker
    see moresee less
    type of:
    express joy, express mirth, laugh
    produce laughter
  2. noun
    a disrespectful laugh
    synonyms: snicker, snort
    see moresee less
    type of:
    laugh, laughter
    the sound of laughing
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