bubble

[ buhb-uhl ]

/ ˈbʌb əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bubble 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 information bubble 364 days of the year and then expect to happily reconnect with your family at Thanksgiving.

Economics.

Also called speculative bubble, 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.
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 tea 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.

Nearby words

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

Idioms

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

Related forms

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

Can be confused

babble bauble bubble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bubble

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
All sorts of government policies blew that bubble up until it popped.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It appears that, rather than having burst, the comic book “bubble” is just getting started.
Marvel and DC Plan 20 Movies for the Next Six Years: Will the Comic Book Movie Bubble Burst?|Rich Goldstein|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With any luck, the comic book “bubble” will never pop, but all golden ages must eventually come to an end.
Marvel and DC Plan 20 Movies for the Next Six Years: Will the Comic Book Movie Bubble Burst?|Rich Goldstein|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He cites the example of the Bubble Sisters, a four-piece girl group that made its debut in 2003.
Black K-Pop Fans Come Out of the Closet|Sterling Wong|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bubble was carefully inspected, inside and out, and nothing was found.
The Nothing Equation|Tom Godwin
Get a vessel of hot water, and put a phial into it, with the mouth downwards; the expanded air will bubble out.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts
The bubble shells love sandy mud flats in which they bury themselves or find concealment under masses of sea weed.
Birds and Nature, Vol. 12 No. 3 [August 1902]|Various
I saw my soul a second time to-day; it was no longer the bubble, blown large, palpitating.
The Journal of Arthur Stirling|Upton Sinclair
Helium is contained almost universally in the gases which bubble up with the water of thermal springs.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2|Various

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

Culture 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.