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 bubbling

carbonated, ebullient, effervescent, effusive, exuberant, yeasty, exuberance, effusiveness

Examples from the Web for bubbling

Contemporary Examples of bubbling

The shared feelings, the bubbling emotion, the awe: she became an experience.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year
Kevin Fallon
December 31, 2014
Most of all, Orman reflects a bubbling Main Street frustration with hyper-partisan gridlock.
The Kansas Independent Who Could Control the Senate
John Avlon
September 6, 2014
In L.A., the really exhilarant cooking was bubbling up from the bottom, not trickling down from the top.
Why Los Angeles Is the Best Food Town in America
Andrew Romano
November 16, 2013
“But now the lid is coming off and overt racism is bubbling out,” says Bennett.
Ghosts of the Confederacy Out in Force as Fringe Rules GOP
Eleanor Clift
October 16, 2013
Maybe it all was bubbling under the surface as she seemed to many people to be doing fine.
What Pushed Miriam Carey to a Capitol Hill Tragedy?
Michael Daly
October 4, 2013

Historical Examples of bubbling

It was red from heat, and the water was bubbling away in its boiler.
The Dream
Emile Zola
Phoebe's indignation was cumulative always, and was now bubbling into wrath.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
He was bubbling over with excitement and the sense of his own huge importance.
The Slave Of The Lamp
Henry Seton Merriman
Gubblum's porridge was bubbling, and the thivel worked vigorously.
A Son of Hagar
Sir Hall Caine
Then, at last, when they were alone, he loosed the question that was bubbling on his lips.
St. Martin's Summer
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for bubbling

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 bubbling

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."

bubble

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

bubbling 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.