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# snigger

«snigger» in Mova's school dictionary: **to laugh quietly in a rude or unkind way, often at…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (snigger, sniggers, sniggered, sniggering); noun (a snigger, sniggers)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To snigger is to laugh quietly in a rude or unkind way, often at someone's mistake or at something naughty. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#m1)

2) A snigger is that small, half-hidden laugh. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#m2)

3) (US) The usual American word is «snicker», which means the same. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In stories and at school sniggering happens behind someone's back; the reader learns that people are mocking, or that a joke is a bit rude. Teachers often stop children from sniggering when someone gets an answer wrong. Phrases: snigger at, a snigger went round the class.

### examples

- The boys sniggered when the teacher tripped. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#x1)
- A snigger went round the class. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#x2)
- Please don't snigger when someone reads aloud. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#x3)
- She heard sniggers from the back row. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#x4)
- He sniggered at the rude word in the book. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#x5)
- Mum told us off for sniggering in church. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/#x6)

### note

British English mostly says «snigger», American English «snicker». Past form: sniggered. Countable noun: a snigger. It is not the same as a giggle: giggling can be friendly; sniggering is usually unkind or cheeky.

### In the corpora

- [Jake says «Sorry, innit» to Sam with a big smirk while his mates snigger.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/477-saying-sorry-and-the-sorry-that-is-not-accepted/9/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «snigger» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/snigger/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.