babble

[ bab-uhl ]
See synonyms for babble on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),bab·bled, bab·bling.
  1. to utter sounds or words imperfectly, indistinctly, or without meaning.

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

  1. to make a continuous, murmuring sound.

verb (used with object),bab·bled, bab·bling.
  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.

  1. a murmuring sound or a confusion of sounds.

  2. Telecommunications. a confused mixture of extraneous sounds in a circuit, resulting from cross talk from other channels.: Compare cross talk (def. 1).

Origin of babble

1
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English babelen; cognate with Old Norse babbla, Dutch babbelen, German pappelen

Other words for babble

Other words from babble

  • outbabble, verb (used with object), out·bab·bled, out·bab·bling.

Words that may be confused with babble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use babble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for babble

babble

/ (ˈbæbəl) /


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

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

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

  2. (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

Origin of babble

1
C13: compare Dutch babbelen, Swedish babbla, French babiller to prattle, Latin babulus fool; probably all of imitative origin

Derived forms of babble

  • babblement, noun
  • babbling, noun, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012