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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has been babblingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are babblingprogressive
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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
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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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.
They are also, of course, fun—and no one really gets held to account for them, as Dan Gardner’s excellent 2011 book Future Babble details.
From Slate • Dec. 18, 2021
The initial launch of Babble Royale is also still in “Season Zero” as an early access launch, with more features and content planned for the future, too.
From The Verge • Dec. 16, 2021
In 2013, for the work Rebel Dabble Babble, McCarthy built two derelict houses in a dark, grim New York warehouse.
From The Guardian • Aug. 4, 2020
Playmates’ Babble Heads line offers two of the turtles — Loudmouth Leo and Motor Mouth Mikey.
From Washington Times • Dec. 14, 2019
Idle Babble Is always going about, playing the child; And should a dumb man enter in that place, The dumb would babble in his own despite.
From Stories from the Italian Poets: with Lives of the Writers, Volume 2 by Tasso, Torquato
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.
