babble
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to utter in an incoherent, foolish, or meaningless fashion.
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to reveal foolishly or thoughtlessly.
to babble a secret.
noun
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inarticulate or imperfect speech.
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foolish, meaningless, or incoherent speech; prattle.
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a murmuring sound or a confusion of sounds.
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Telecommunications. a confused mixture of extraneous sounds in a circuit, resulting from cross talk from other channels.
verb
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to utter (words, sounds, etc) in an incoherent or indistinct jumble
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(intr) to talk foolishly, incessantly, or irrelevantly
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(tr) to disclose (secrets, confidences, etc) carelessly or impulsively
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(intr) (of streams, birds, etc) to make a low murmuring or bubbling sound
noun
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incoherent or foolish speech; chatter
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a murmuring or bubbling sound
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has babbledperfect 3rd person singular
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have babbledperfect
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am babblingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been babblingperfect progressive
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is babblingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are babblingprogressive
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has been babblingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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babblingparticiple
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babblessingular 3rd person
Past
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had babbledperfect
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babbledsimple
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were babblingprogressive plural
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had been babblingperfect progressive
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was babblingprogressive singular
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babbledparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of babble
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English babelen; cognate with Old Norse babbla, Dutch babbelen, German pappelen
Explanation
To babble is to talk on and on without a particular goal. It might drive you crazy when your little sister babbles endlessly about her favorite video game. Babble sounds like Babel, the Biblical tower where everyone was talking in their own language. Everyone was babbling without paying attention to their neighbors, like the kid who won’t stop talking about his trip to the water park three years ago. A stream or a brook can babble, too, but that’s more of a soothing sound of water against rocks. Babies gurgle, because they don’t have enough words to babble yet.
Vocabulary lists containing babble
Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Babble Royale is now live in early access!
From The Verge • Dec. 16, 2021
Playmates’ Babble Heads line offers two of the turtles — Loudmouth Leo and Motor Mouth Mikey.
From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2019
As We Babble On East West Players stage Nathan Ramos’ new comedy-drama about a first-generation Asian American trying to get his writing career off the ground in NYC.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2018
The Sherman's brilliant family festival kicks off with Replay's theatre experience for babies, Babble.
From The Guardian • Apr. 22, 2013
Plashings—or is it the pinewood's whispers, Babble of brooks unseen, Laughter of winds when they find the blossoms, Brushing aside the green?
From The Golden Treasury of American Songs and Lyrics by Knowles, Frederic Lawrence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
