bubble
Americannoun
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bubbles
plural
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a nearly spherical body of gas contained in a liquid.
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a small globule of gas in a thin liquid envelope.
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a globule of air or gas, or a globular vacuum, contained in a solid.
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anything that lacks firmness, substance, or permanence; an illusion or delusion.
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the act or sound of bubbling.
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a spherical or nearly spherical canopy or shelter; dome.
The bombing plane bristled with machine-gun bubbles.
A network of radar bubbles stretches across northern Canada.
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a domelike structure, usually of inflated plastic, used to enclose a swimming pool, tennis court, etc.
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a protected, exempt, or unique area, industry, etc..
The oasis is a bubble of green in the middle of the desert.
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an area that can be defended, protected, patrolled, etc., or that comes under one's jurisdiction.
The carrier fleet's bubble includes the Hawaiian Islands.
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a zone of cognitive or psychological isolation, in which one’s preexisting ideas are reinforced through interactions with like-minded people or those with similar social identities.
You can’t live in your own partisan political bubble 364 days of the year and then expect to happily reconnect with your family at Thanksgiving.
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a group or circle of people who interact or socialize with one another because of familial ties, shared interests, etc..
I do try to expand my social bubble and look for opportunities to make new friends.
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pod. a small group of people who interact or socialize exclusively with one another in order to contain the spread of a contagious disease.
I’m only getting together with my quarantine bubble of five family members.
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Economics.
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Also called speculative bubble. Also called asset price bubble. an inflated speculation that causes an unsustainable increase in the value of goods, property, or other investment.
The real-estate bubble ruined many investors when it burst.
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a sudden, temporary change or divergence from a trend.
In May there was a bubble in car sales, with three percent more being sold than last year.
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verb (used without object)
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bubbles,
present (3rd person singular)
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bubbled,
past participle, past
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bubbling
present participle
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to form, produce, or release bubbles; effervesce.
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to flow or spout with a gurgling noise; gurgle.
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to boil.
The water bubbled in the pot.
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to speak, move, issue forth, or exist in a lively, sparkling manner; exude cheer.
The play bubbled with songs and dances.
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to seethe or stir, as with excitement.
His mind bubbles with plans and schemes.
verb (used with object)
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bubbles,
present (3rd person singular)
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bubbled,
past participle, past
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bubbling
present participle
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to cause to bubble; make bubbles in.
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Archaic. to cheat; deceive; swindle.
verb phrase
idioms
noun
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a thin film of liquid forming a hollow globule around air or a gas
a soap bubble
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a small globule of air or a gas in a liquid or a solid, as in carbonated drinks, glass, etc
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the sound made by a bubbling liquid
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something lacking substance, stability, or seriousness
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an unreliable scheme or enterprise
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a dome, esp a transparent glass or plastic one
verb
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to form or cause to form bubbles
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(intr) to move or flow with a gurgling sound
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to overflow (with excitement, anger, etc)
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(intr) to snivel; blubber
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bubblesimple
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bubblessimple
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have bubbledperfect
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has bubbledperfect
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am bubblingprogressive
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are bubblingprogressive
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is bubblingprogressive
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have been bubblingperfect progressive
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has been bubblingperfect progressive
Past
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bubbledsimple
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had bubbledperfect
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was bubblingprogressive
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were bubblingprogressive
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had been bubblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bubble
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun bobel; cognate with Middle Dutch bobbel, bubbel, Middle Low German bubbele, Swedish bubbla
Explanation
A bubble is a floating ball of air. You can also blow a bubble with gum. If you’re in your own little bubble, you’re living in a fantasy, separated from the rest of the world by a thin layer of your imagination. Whether you're blowing bubbles in the park or enjoying a bubble bath, those physical bubbles are made of liquid and gas. If something bubbles up, it comes to the surface. That can be an actual bubble or a just a feeling. A bubble can also be an idea that won’t work either because it’s a fantasy or because it’s an uncontrollable scheme, like a housing or economic bubble. The thing about bubbles is that they burst.
Vocabulary lists containing bubble
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:
It is also expected to be dry, bar the odd shower across the Scottish Highlands where more cloud could bubble up.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Kathleen, a 70-year-old widow who lives in Illinois, says going on the cruises will take the widower out of his bubble and help take his mind off his grief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Even the NBA Finals ratings during the COVID-19 pandemic were at an all-time low, averaging just 7.45 million viewers for the Lakers’ six-game, bubble series win over the Miami Heat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The late 1990s was littered with the careers of people who had called the stock-market bubble, but too early.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
My mother says each time a bubble burst on my face, it made a freckle.
From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli
Messenger RNA technology uses synthetic molecular instructions encased in tiny fat bubbles that temporarily enter cells, causing them to produce targets that train the body’s immune system.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Ron spasms under his desk, stifled by the small space; a colleague dries a co-worker’s hair with a piece of paper after blowing bubbles in it; Ron does the loudest meal prep you’ll ever hear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Together, they create the Sun's granulation, a constantly changing pattern that resembles bubbles in a boiling liquid.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
The first is that the bursting of giant bubbles has often been catastrophic for the economy—think of 1929 or 2008.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Either way, everyone on the raft oohed and aahed as the bubbles of mist surrounding us swirled and stretched into a diorama.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
By depicting Oklahoma rez life through the eyes of the restless teenagers raised on movies that romanticize escaping home to find themselves, Harjo’s stories bubbled over with joy and ridiculousness.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Sometimes called “massives,” these embryonic raves bubbled underground, often in former industrial districts with available, frequently forgotten spaces.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Anger bubbled over again when it emerged Lord Mandelson was given security clearance for the role, despite concerns being raised by vetting officials.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
“It bubbled up into one big cauldron of discontent.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
He tried to look stern, but as giggles bubbled around the hall, he had a hard time keeping a straight face.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
Zigzagging between robots, weapons and computers in his garage workshop, Ukrainian engineer Eduard Trotsenko was bubbling with excitement as he showed off his latest prototypes and dreamed of sci-fi-inspired futuristic ideas.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Nick Palmiter, who is 29 and from Monroe County in Michigan, told the BBC he experienced feeling constant pressure and bubbling, "almost like you have a balloon in your stomach".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
In the build-up to the convention, though, the Washington Post reported on some stories from Maine that had been bubbling up on social media about his temper and shouting matches with fellow lawmakers.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
Banks set aside more money for potential losses and scrutinized their books for any signs that distress could be bubbling up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
No longer disguised as a domesticated donkey, the nagual, dressed in a soiled black robe, was standing over a huge bubbling cauldron.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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.
