bubble

[ buhb-uhl ]

/ ˈbʌb əl /

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See synonyms for: bubble / bubbled / bubbles / bubbling on Thesaurus.com

noun

a nearly spherical body of gas contained in a liquid.

a small globule of gas in a thin liquid envelope.

a globule of air or gas, or a globular vacuum, contained in a solid.

anything that lacks firmness, substance, or permanence; an illusion or delusion.

the act or sound of bubbling.

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.

a domelike structure, usually of inflated plastic, used to enclose a swimming pool, tennis court, etc.

a protected, exempt, or unique area, industry, etc.: The oasis is a bubble of green in the middle of the desert.

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.

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.

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.
Also called 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.

Economics.

Also called spec·u·la·tive bub·ble [spek-yuh-luh-tiv buhb-uhl], /ˈspɛk yəˌlə tɪv ˈbʌb əl/, as·set price bub·ble [as-et prahys-buhb-uhl] /ˈæs ɛt ˈpraɪs ˈbʌb əl/ . 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.
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.

verb (used without object), bub·bled, bub·bling.

to form, produce, or release bubbles; effervesce.

to flow or spout with a gurgling noise; gurgle.

to boil: The water bubbled in the pot.

to speak, move, issue forth, or exist in a lively, sparkling manner; exude cheer: The play bubbled with songs and dances.

to seethe or stir, as with excitement: His mind bubbles with plans and schemes.

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

to cause to bubble; make bubbles in.

Archaic. to cheat; deceive; swindle.

Verb Phrases

bubble over, to become lively: The last time I saw her she was bubbling over with enthusiasm.

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Idioms about bubble

burst someone’s bubble, to diminish someone’s enthusiasm or optimism, especially with a reminder of sobering facts or realistic expectations.

Origin of bubble

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun bobel; cognate with Middle Dutch bobbel, bubbel, Middle Low German bubbele, Swedish bubbla

OTHER WORDS FROM bubble

bub·ble·less, adjectivebub·ble·like, adjectivebub·bling·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bubble

babble, bauble, bubble

Words nearby bubble

bubal, bubaline, buba madre, bubas, bubba, bubble, bubble and squeak, bubble bath, bubble bowl, bubble car, bubble card

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bubble in a sentence

They ultimately decided coming to the bubble and playing televised games would give them the largest platform, though now at least some are wondering if that’s still true.
Athletes, from the NBA to tennis stars, are striking to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake|kdunn6|August 27, 2020|Fortune
We’re down here playing in the bubble to do these things for social justice and all that.
Why A Strike For Racial Justice Started With The Milwaukee Bucks And The NBA|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 27, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
So it was that hockey’s return — staged in an antiseptic bubble — involved a scrap.
Fighting Didn’t Stop In The NHL Bubble|Josh Planos|August 26, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
All 16 teams that make the postseason will play on the same three courts, sans fans, deep inside a disinfected Disney World fortress known as the bubble.
How the NBA is using virtual fans to make games feel normal|Nicolás Rivero|August 14, 2020|Quartz

In communities from Chicago to San Diego, parents are forming pandemic pods and microschools — bubbles where small groups of kids can meet and learn together.
Is School Out Forever?|Daniel Malloy|August 9, 2020|Ozy
Even as early as December 4, remarks from inside the bubble were cryptic and frightened.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack|James Poulos|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The housing bubble was at very the center of the financial crisis that birthed Dodd-Frank.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All sorts of government policies blew that bubble up until it popped.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the “Buying Bubble” bursts, what then for the U.S. economy?
Christmas Is the New Subprime|Doug McIntyre|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Marvel and DC Plan 20 Movies for the Next Six Years: Will the Comic Book Movie Bubble Burst?
7 Must-Read Stories about Tim Cook, Amelia Earheart and Slut-o-Ween: The Best of The Beast|William Boot|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or turn from the gray officials to the purple citizens of the soap bubble commonwealth of socialism.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Violet laid the tin plate over the top for a cover, and they all stood by to hear the first bubble.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner
Pederson headed a bloc against 'Carmack's Folly,' but he backed the wrong horse, and when the bubble burst he was out in the cold.
We're Friends, Now|Henry Hasse
There was something so irresistibly amusing in his voice and smile that Mrs. Admaston began to bubble over with laughter.
A Butterfly on the Wheel|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
There came a little bubble of laughter from Peggy, which seemed to remove all diffidence from Collingwood.
A Butterfly on the Wheel|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull

British Dictionary definitions for bubble

bubble

/ (ˈbʌbəl) /

noun

a thin film of liquid forming a hollow globule around air or a gasa soap bubble

a small globule of air or a gas in a liquid or a solid, as in carbonated drinks, glass, etc

the sound made by a bubbling liquid

something lacking substance, stability, or seriousness

an unreliable scheme or enterprise

a dome, esp a transparent glass or plastic one

verb

to form or cause to form bubbles

(intr) to move or flow with a gurgling sound

(intr; often foll by over) to overflow (with excitement, anger, etc)

(intr) Scot to snivel; blubber

Word Origin for bubble

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish bubbla, Danish boble, Dutch bobbel, all of imitative origin

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

Cultural definitions for bubble

bubble

A period of wild speculation in which the price of a commodity or stock or an entire market is inflated far beyond its real value. Bubbles are said to “burst” when a general awareness of the folly emerges and the price drops.

bubble

Idioms about bubble

Origin of bubble

OTHER WORDS FROM bubble

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bubble

Words nearby bubble

Words related to bubble

How to use bubble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bubble

Word Origin for bubble

Cultural definitions for bubble