Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for babble on Thesaurus.com verb (used without object), bab·bled, bab·bling. to utter sounds or words imperfectly, indistinctly, or without meaning. to talk idly, irrationally, excessively, or foolishly; chatter or prattle. to make a continuous, murmuring sound. Show More
verb (used with object), bab·bled, bab·bling. to utter in an incoherent, foolish, or meaningless fashion. to reveal foolishly or thoughtlessly: to babble a secret. Show More
inarticulate or imperfect speech. foolish, meaningless, or incoherent speech; prattle. a murmuring sound or a confusion of sounds. babbling(def 2) . Telecommunications a confused mixture of extraneous sounds in a circuit, resulting from cross talk from other channels. Compare cross talk(def 1) . Show More
Origin of babble First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English babelen; cognate with Old Norse babbla, Dutch babbelen, German pappelen
Related forms out·bab·ble , verb (used with object), out·bab·bled, out·bab·bling. Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for babble gibberish ,
jargon ,
drivel ,
burble ,
blubber ,
mumble ,
mutter ,
murmur ,
gab ,
ranting ,
jabber ,
blubbering ,
gabble ,
gossip ,
prattle ,
clamor ,
chatter ,
gushing ,
muttering ,
jabbering Examples from the Web for babble Contemporary Examples of babble In fact, I described them this way myself when I wrote about infant memory two years ago for Babble .
Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, Washington Post, Salon, and Babble .
Taffy Brodesser-Akner has written for the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and Babble , among other publications.
Historical Examples of babble Thence a babble of excited voices had reached him as he approached.
Her words, too, were incoherent, as incoherent as the babble of the children themselves.
Donegal listened; and there was no babble of voices, and the rest of the orchestra was silent.
For a time Renouard, silent, as if he had not heard a word of all that babble , did not stir.
There was a babble of voices from the loudspeaker, punctuated by bursts of static.
British Dictionary definitions for babble to utter (words, sounds, etc) in an incoherent or indistinct jumble (intr) to talk foolishly, incessantly, or irrelevantly (tr) to disclose (secrets, confidences, etc) carelessly or impulsively (intr) (of streams, birds, etc) to make a low murmuring or bubbling sound Show More
incoherent or foolish speech; chatter a murmuring or bubbling sound Show More
Derived Forms babblement , noun babbling , noun , adjective Word Origin for babble C13: compare Dutch babbelen , Swedish babbla , French babiller to prattle, Latin babulus fool; probably all of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for babble v. mid-13c., babeln "to prattle, chatter," akin to other Western European words for stammering and prattling (cf. Swedish babbla , Old French babillier ) attested from the same era, some of which probably were borrowed from others, but etymologists cannot now determine which were original. Probably imitative of baby-talk, in any case (cf. Latin babulus "babbler," Greek barbaros "non-Greek-speaking"). "No direct connexion with Babel can be traced; though association with that may have affected the senses" [OED]. Meaning "to repeat oneself incoherently, speak foolishly" is attested from c.1400. Related: Babbled ; babbling .
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n. "idle talk," c.1500, from babble (v.). In 16c., commonly in reduplicated form bibble-babble .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
