bubble

[ buhb-uhl ]

noun

1. a nearly spherical body of gas contained in a liquid.
2. a small globule of gas in a thin liquid envelope.
3. a globule of air or gas, or a globular vacuum, contained in a solid.
4. anything that lacks firmness, substance, or permanence; an illusion or delusion.
5. the act or sound of bubbling.
6. 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.

7. a domelike structure, usually of inflated plastic, used to enclose a swimming pool, tennis court, etc.
8. a protected, exempt, or unique area, industry, etc.:

   The oasis is a bubble of green in the middle of the desert.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 1. 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.

    2. 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.

12. Economics.
    1. Also called spec·u·la·tive bub·ble [spek, -y, uh, -l, uh, -tiv , buhb, -, uh, l],. 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.

    2. 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.

1. to form, produce, or release bubbles; effervesce.
2. to flow or spout with a gurgling noise; gurgle.
3. to boil:

   The water bubbled in the pot.

4. to speak, move, issue forth, or exist in a lively, sparkling manner; exude cheer:

   The play bubbled with songs and dances.

5. to seethe or stir, as with excitement:

   His mind bubbles with plans and schemes.

verb (used with object)

, bub·bled, bub·bling.

1. to cause to bubble; make bubbles in.
2. Archaic. to cheat; deceive; swindle.

verb phrase

1. to become lively:

   The last time I saw her she was bubbling over with enthusiasm.

bubble

/ ˈbʌbəl /

noun

1. a thin film of liquid forming a hollow globule around air or a gas

   a soap bubble

2. a small globule of air or a gas in a liquid or a solid, as in carbonated drinks, glass, etc
3. the sound made by a bubbling liquid
4. something lacking substance, stability, or seriousness
5. an unreliable scheme or enterprise
6. a dome, esp a transparent glass or plastic one

verb

1. to form or cause to form bubbles
2. intr to move or flow with a gurgling sound
3. intr; often foll byover to overflow (with excitement, anger, etc)
4. intr to snivel; blubber

bubble

1. 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.

Other Words From

• bub·ble·less adjective
• bub·ble·like adjective
• bub·bling·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of bubble¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bubble¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

Example Sentences

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.

From Fortune

We’re down here playing in the bubble to do these things for social justice and all that.

From FiveThirtyEight

So it was that hockey’s return — staged in an antiseptic bubble — involved a scrap.

From 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.

From 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.

From Ozy

Even as early as December 4, remarks from inside the bubble were cryptic and frightened.

From The Daily Beast

The housing bubble was at very the center of the financial crisis that birthed Dodd-Frank.

From The Daily Beast

All sorts of government policies blew that bubble up until it popped.

From The Daily Beast

When the “Buying Bubble” bursts, what then for the U.S. economy?

From The Daily Beast

Marvel and DC Plan 20 Movies for the Next Six Years: Will the Comic Book Movie Bubble Burst?

From The Daily Beast

Or turn from the gray officials to the purple citizens of the soap bubble commonwealth of socialism.

From Project Gutenberg

Violet laid the tin plate over the top for a cover, and they all stood by to hear the first bubble.

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

There was something so irresistibly amusing in his voice and smile that Mrs. Admaston began to bubble over with laughter.

From Project Gutenberg

There came a little bubble of laughter from Peggy, which seemed to remove all diffidence from Collingwood.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• boil
• burble
• churn
• erupt
• fester
• gurgle
• gush
• percolate
• seep
• seethe
• simmer
• smolder
• sparkle
• stir
• trickle