babble

[bab-uhl]

verb (used without object)

babbled, babbling 

1. to utter sounds or words imperfectly, indistinctly, or without meaning.

2. to talk idly, irrationally, excessively, or foolishly; chatter or prattle.

   Synonyms: blather, drivel, gabble, chitchat

3. to make a continuous, murmuring sound.

   Synonyms: burble, gurgle, murmur

verb (used with object)

babbled, babbling 

1. to utter in an incoherent, foolish, or meaningless fashion.

2. to reveal foolishly or thoughtlessly.

   to babble a secret.

noun

1. inarticulate or imperfect speech.

2. foolish, meaningless, or incoherent speech; prattle.

3. a murmuring sound or a confusion of sounds.

4. babbling.

5. Telecommunications.,  a confused mixture of extraneous sounds in a circuit, resulting from cross talk from other channels.

babble

/ ˈbæbəl /

verb

1. to utter (words, sounds, etc) in an incoherent or indistinct jumble

2. (intr) to talk foolishly, incessantly, or irrelevantly

3. (tr) to disclose (secrets, confidences, etc) carelessly or impulsively

4. (intr) (of streams, birds, etc) to make a low murmuring or bubbling sound

noun

1. incoherent or foolish speech; chatter

2. a murmuring or bubbling sound

Other Word Forms

• babblement noun
• babbling noun
• outbabble verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of babble¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English babelen; cognate with Old Norse babbla, Dutch babbelen, German pappelen

Word History and Origins

Origin of babble¹

C13: compare Dutch babbelen , Swedish babbla , French babiller to prattle, Latin babulus fool; probably all of imitative origin

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the southern pied babbler does not, in fact, merely babble.

From Salon

Standing at the mouth of the tunnel, the constant babble of cascading water dominates the senses.

From Los Angeles Times

In the end, loud as he is, however incessantly he babbles on, he may be overseeing a future “stillness,” if not at Appomattox, then across this planet itself.

From Salon

Lutnick showed up on CBS' "Face the Nation" and babbled so incoherently about robots and manufacturing and "tiny screws" that you had to wonder if someone put something in his morning coffee.

From Salon

He babbled on for quite a while on the subject of his "unfair" court cases and then said that the Supreme Court is also being intimidated:

From Salon

Related Words

• blubber 
• burble 
• mumble 
• murmur 
• mutter