chatter
Americanverb (used without object)
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to talk rapidly in a foolish or purposeless way; jabber.
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to utter a succession of quick, inarticulate, speechlike sounds, as monkeys or certain birds.
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to make a rapid clicking noise by striking together.
His teeth were chattering from the cold.
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Machinery. (of a cutting tool or piece of metal) to vibrate during cutting so as to produce surface flaws on the work.
verb (used with object)
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to utter rapidly or purposelessly.
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to cause to chatter, as the teeth from cold.
noun
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purposeless or foolish talk.
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a series of waves or ridges on the surface of a piece of metal that has been imperfectly drawn or extruded.
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the act or sound of chattering.
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online, phone, radio, or other electronic communication among people, often involving a harmful political activity such as espionage or terrorism.
Officials were able to intercept and identify a high level of terrorist chatter in the weeks before the bombing attempt.
verb
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to speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly; prattle
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(intr) (of birds, monkeys, etc) to make rapid repetitive high-pitched noises resembling human speech
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(intr) (of the teeth) to click together rapidly through cold or fear
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(intr) to make rapid intermittent contact with a component, as in machining, causing irregular cutting
noun
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idle or foolish talk; gossip
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the high-pitched repetitive noise made by a bird, monkey, etc
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the rattling of objects, such as parts of a machine
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Also called: chatter mark. the undulating pattern of marks in a machined surface from the vibration of the tool or workpiece
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chattersimple
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chatterssimple
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have chatteredperfect
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has chatteredperfect
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am chatteringprogressive
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are chatteringprogressive
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is chatteringprogressive
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have been chatteringperfect progressive
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has been chatteringperfect progressive
Past
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chatteredsimple
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had chatteredperfect
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was chatteringprogressive
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were chatteringprogressive
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had been chatteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chatter
1200–50; Middle English chateren; imitative
Explanation
To chatter is to talk lightly or casually — to shoot the breeze or chitchat. You might chatter with your workmates about the weather or where you'll eat lunch. You probably chatter with your friends all the time without even thinking about it, gossiping or talking about unimportant things. You can call the talk itself chatter too: "The chatter in the cafeteria was so loud I couldn't hear myself think." In the 13th century, it was chateren, from an imitative Middle English root.
Vocabulary lists containing chatter
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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:
But the online chatter has not been all light-hearted.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
By formally asking Congress to direct Amtrak to make the change, however, the administration has transformed what once appeared to be political chatter into an official transportation proposal.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Lindzon, also a partner at venture-capital investor Social Leverage, noted at the time a crescendo in the chatter about AI chips, he told MarketWatch in an interview on Monday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
According to Franco, the rescuers and Gil kept up a steady chatter about his family and about the challenging rescue.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
I hear their happy chatter as they quiz each other on historical facts and dates.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
"I had no one to talk to all day -- to the point my mouth almost felt stale from not speaking. But then this little one came along and chatters with me all the time."
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
A union representing such workers - known as "chatters" - told BBC News it was concerned about the "largely unregulated nature of this type of online work".
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
Bates chatters in almost every recap of the previous episode.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2024
Email your questions and chatters to [email protected] or tweet us @SlateGabfest.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2023
“What a great photo of you! I’m going to make sure I get extra copies of the paper,” she chatters cheerfully as she tugs on my socks before putting on my sneakers.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
Then gossips chattered that a huge “bear raid,” or manipulation of stocks by short sellers, would be launched the following morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Supporters dressed in pink – their candidate's favourite colour – chattered in anticipation of her arrival.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2025
For the next hour, my teeth chattered, my knees shook and my girlfriend periodically checked in to make sure I wasn’t having a legitimate panic attack.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2023
The upperclasswomen covertly reviewed us like swimsuit models for poise and grace, sipping on Diet Cokes and whispering as we all chattered nervously.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2023
As we wound our way down the mountain and onto the highway, Bertha chattered nonstop.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
“Game recognizes game,” the aide who’d been chattering in his ear said as they walked away.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
It was the topic du jour among the chattering class, with notable voices like the women of the “The View,” Chelsea Handler and a former “Real Housewife of Beverly Hills” weighing in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Throughout this decimated-but-not-dead neighborhood, she heard hammers striking, trucks rumbling, construction workers chattering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
They were chattering innocently and said they’d been to the cookie store on Lincoln Avenue and were headed home, to a house that survived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
I bit my bottom lip to keep from chattering any more.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
