bubble

[buhb-uhl]

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.

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

Can be confusedbabble bauble bubble

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

Related Words for bubble

droplet, balloon, foam, blob, froth, fester, gurgle, churn, seep, smolder, burble, sparkle, erupt, seethe, simmer, percolate, trickle, stir, boil, gush

Examples from the Web for bubble

Contemporary Examples of 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
All sorts of government policies blew that bubble up until it popped.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?
Nick Gillespie
December 18, 2014
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
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
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

Historical Examples of bubble

The crest is a bubble, and really the effect produced by it is most ludicrous.
Vivian Grey
Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli
The captain's triumphant exuberance continued to bubble over.
Cap'n Dan's Daughter
Joseph C. Lincoln
His mother listened for the simmer and bubble of the water on the fire.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
The wild justice of this idea made the blood to bubble in his ears.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
Life itself is a bubble and a skepticism, and a sleep within a sleep.
Essays, Second Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for bubble

bubble

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

Word Origin and History for bubble

early 14c., perhaps from Middle Dutch bobbel (n.) and/or Middle Low German bubbeln (v.), all probably of echoic origin. Bubble bath first recorded 1949. Of financial schemes originally in South Sea Bubble (1590s), on notion of "fragile and insubstantial."

mid-15c., perhaps from bubble (n.) and/or from Middle Low German bubbeln (v.), probably of echoic origin. Related: Bubbled; bubbling.

bubble in Culture

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.