snicker
To laugh quiet, often playful, sometimes a little sneaky.
Also called snigger.
Updated September 24, 2026
snicker pronunciation
/SNIK-er/
Meaning
A snicker is a laugh you try to keep down. In dictionary English it often sounds mean. In rural Southern talk it can just mean kids giggling in the back pew, or somebody trying not to bust out at the dinner table. Tone tells you whether it is teasing or straight-up laughing behind a hand.
How folks use it
- “The boys snickered when the preacher's mic quit.”
- “Quit snickering and tell me what you did to the truck.”
Origin and etymology
Showed up in English in the late 1600s as a sound word for a half-held laugh, kin to Dutch snikken (to gasp or sob) and maybe to a horse's nicker. American English kept snicker; British folks often say snigger. Southern and Appalachian speech uses it plenty for quiet laughing that is not always cruel.
Frequently asked questions
Is a snicker always mean?
Not down South. It can be a soft giggle. Context and tone decide if somebody is being ugly about it.