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snicker

/ˈsnɪkər/
/ˈsnɪkə/
IPA guide

Other forms: snickered; snickers; snickering

To snicker is to laugh in a mean or disrespectful way, often expressing superiority. We might snicker at a bully who walks directly into a closed door.

You can also use this word's near-synonym, snigger, to describe a short snort of a laugh or a scornful sound. You know your stand-up comedy act isn't going well when you don't even get snickers from your audience. A secondary meaning of snicker is horse-related: to whinny. It's actually from this use that the Snickers candy bar gets its name. In 1930, the Mars family named it after their favorite horse — Snickers.

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