tittering
/ˈtɪtərɪŋ/
verb
- To laugh in a quiet, nervous, or restrained way, often at something silly or embarrassing.
- During the serious speech, a few people in the back were tittering at a private joke.
- The students started tittering when the teacher's chair squeaked loudly.
- She couldn't help tittering at the puppy's clumsy attempt to climb the stairs.
noun
- A quiet, nervous, or restrained laugh.
- A tittering spread through the audience when the actor forgot his line.
- He heard a tittering from the corner of the room and turned to see what was funny.
- The only response to his joke was a faint tittering from the front row.