- present participle of babble.
babbling
Americannoun
-
foolish or meaningless chatter; prattle.
the constant babbling of idle gossips.
-
the random production of meaningless vocal sounds characteristic of infants around the age of three months.
adjective
-
chattering or prattling aimlessly.
The babbling crowd quieted and funneled back into the auditorium at the end of intermission.
-
making a continuous murmuring sound.
a babbling brook.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of babbling
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English babelinde, bablyng; see origin at babble, -ing 1 (for the noun senses), -ing 2 (for the adjective)
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.
Babbling and blabbing all along with only about 1/3 of his content having any meaning in reality.
From Salon • Sep. 22, 2023
Babbling is characterized by universal features – for example, repetition of syllables and use of rhythm.
From Salon • Aug. 28, 2021
Babbling in infants and toddlers is vital practice in gaining that control.
From BBC • Aug. 19, 2021
Babbling happily in the accents of Poland, Puerto Rico, Italy and Brooklyn, they marched half a mile up Eighth Avenue to Madison Square Garden.
From Time Magazine Archive
Babbling excitedly they looked curiously down on the silent crouching troopers.
From The Tale of a Trooper by Mackenzie, Clutha N. (Clutha Nantes)
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.
