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French frequency list

No. 11,509 in French

ricaner

To snigger or sneer mockingly.

In a sentence

  • Elle ne pouvait s'empêcher de ricaner en le voyant trébucher.

    She couldn't help but snicker when seeing him stumble.

    Here, 'ricaner' is used to describe a mocking or derisive laugh, often at someone else's misfortune.

  • Les élèves ricanèrent en entendant la plaisanterie du professeur.

    The students snickered upon hearing the teacher's joke.

    In this sentence, 'ricaner' conveys a light-hearted and mischievous laugh in response to a humorous event.

  • Il ricanait souvent pour cacher ses véritables émotions.

    He often snickered to hide his true emotions.

    The usage of 'ricaner' here reflects an act of laughter used as a defense mechanism or a means of concealing feelings.

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