bubble
Americannoun
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bubbles
plural
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a nearly spherical body of gas contained in a liquid.
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a small globule of gas in a thin liquid envelope.
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a globule of air or gas, or a globular vacuum, contained in a solid.
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anything that lacks firmness, substance, or permanence; an illusion or delusion.
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the act or sound of bubbling.
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a spherical or nearly spherical canopy or shelter; dome.
The bombing plane bristled with machine-gun bubbles.
A network of radar bubbles stretches across northern Canada.
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a domelike structure, usually of inflated plastic, used to enclose a swimming pool, tennis court, etc.
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a protected, exempt, or unique area, industry, etc..
The oasis is a bubble of green in the middle of the desert.
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an area that can be defended, protected, patrolled, etc., or that comes under one's jurisdiction.
The carrier fleet's bubble includes the Hawaiian Islands.
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a zone of cognitive or psychological isolation, in which one’s preexisting ideas are reinforced through interactions with like-minded people or those with similar social identities.
You can’t live in your own partisan political bubble 364 days of the year and then expect to happily reconnect with your family at Thanksgiving.
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a group or circle of people who interact or socialize with one another because of familial ties, shared interests, etc..
I do try to expand my social bubble and look for opportunities to make new friends.
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pod. a small group of people who interact or socialize exclusively with one another in order to contain the spread of a contagious disease.
I’m only getting together with my quarantine bubble of five family members.
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Economics.
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Also called speculative bubble. Also called asset price bubble. an inflated speculation that causes an unsustainable increase in the value of goods, property, or other investment.
The real-estate bubble ruined many investors when it burst.
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a sudden, temporary change or divergence from a trend.
In May there was a bubble in car sales, with three percent more being sold than last year.
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verb (used without object)
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bubbles,
present (3rd person singular)
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bubbled,
past participle, past
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bubbling
present participle
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to form, produce, or release bubbles; effervesce.
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to flow or spout with a gurgling noise; gurgle.
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to boil.
The water bubbled in the pot.
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to speak, move, issue forth, or exist in a lively, sparkling manner; exude cheer.
The play bubbled with songs and dances.
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to seethe or stir, as with excitement.
His mind bubbles with plans and schemes.
verb (used with object)
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bubbles,
present (3rd person singular)
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bubbled,
past participle, past
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bubbling
present participle
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to cause to bubble; make bubbles in.
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Archaic. to cheat; deceive; swindle.
verb phrase
idioms
noun
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a thin film of liquid forming a hollow globule around air or a gas
a soap bubble
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a small globule of air or a gas in a liquid or a solid, as in carbonated drinks, glass, etc
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the sound made by a bubbling liquid
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something lacking substance, stability, or seriousness
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an unreliable scheme or enterprise
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a dome, esp a transparent glass or plastic one
verb
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to form or cause to form bubbles
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(intr) to move or flow with a gurgling sound
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to overflow (with excitement, anger, etc)
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(intr) to snivel; blubber
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bubblesimple
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bubblessimple
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have bubbledperfect
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has bubbledperfect
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am bubblingprogressive
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are bubblingprogressive
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is bubblingprogressive
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have been bubblingperfect progressive
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has been bubblingperfect progressive
Past
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bubbledsimple
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had bubbledperfect
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was bubblingprogressive
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were bubblingprogressive
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had been bubblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bubble
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun bobel; cognate with Middle Dutch bobbel, bubbel, Middle Low German bubbele, Swedish bubbla
Explanation
A bubble is a floating ball of air. You can also blow a bubble with gum. If you’re in your own little bubble, you’re living in a fantasy, separated from the rest of the world by a thin layer of your imagination. Whether you're blowing bubbles in the park or enjoying a bubble bath, those physical bubbles are made of liquid and gas. If something bubbles up, it comes to the surface. That can be an actual bubble or a just a feeling. A bubble can also be an idea that won’t work either because it’s a fantasy or because it’s an uncontrollable scheme, like a housing or economic bubble. The thing about bubbles is that they burst.
Vocabulary lists containing bubble
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.
See Examples For:
The heliosphere is the vast protective bubble produced by the Sun that surrounds the solar system.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
A framed photo of Kasabian's recent Finsbury Park gig sits in bubble wrap at the foot of the stairs.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Some are betting that a sustained rise in bond yields could prick what many see as a bubble in AI-driven stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Many of them will be using margin and will get liquidated once the bubble pops, which seems to be what happened in South Korea.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026
Dr. Loofah shouts over the thumping blades roaring outside the cockpit bubble.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Messenger RNA technology uses synthetic molecular instructions encased in tiny fat bubbles that temporarily enter cells, causing them to produce targets that train the body’s immune system.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
However, as a student of market bubbles and economic cycles, Rizzo has opinions on the comparison that can be drawn with the current AI bonanza.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Ron spasms under his desk, stifled by the small space; a colleague dries a co-worker’s hair with a piece of paper after blowing bubbles in it; Ron does the loudest meal prep you’ll ever hear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Together, they create the Sun's granulation, a constantly changing pattern that resembles bubbles in a boiling liquid.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
He sighs again and stalks off, scanning the shoreline for bubbles.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
The legal saga is a twist on the return-to-office tensions that have bubbled up at companies in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
By depicting Oklahoma rez life through the eyes of the restless teenagers raised on movies that romanticize escaping home to find themselves, Harjo’s stories bubbled over with joy and ridiculousness.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Sometimes called “massives,” these embryonic raves bubbled underground, often in former industrial districts with available, frequently forgotten spaces.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
The Mandelson saga whenever it bubbled up made Number 10 kick into gear on the subject in order to prove our credentials.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
Martin’s memory bubbled up like hot tar, forming and shaping itself until I was standing where he had stood.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Zigzagging between robots, weapons and computers in his garage workshop, Ukrainian engineer Eduard Trotsenko was bubbling with excitement as he showed off his latest prototypes and dreamed of sci-fi-inspired futuristic ideas.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Nick Palmiter, who is 29 and from Monroe County in Michigan, told the BBC he experienced feeling constant pressure and bubbling, "almost like you have a balloon in your stomach".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
In the build-up to the convention, though, the Washington Post reported on some stories from Maine that had been bubbling up on social media about his temper and shouting matches with fellow lawmakers.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
Banks set aside more money for potential losses and scrutinized their books for any signs that distress could be bubbling up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
It turns into an open space with a fountain in the middle, bubbling white foam over clear carved ice.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
