chatter

[ chat-er ]

/ ˈtʃæt ər /

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See synonyms for: chatter / chattered / chattering / chattery on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to talk rapidly in a foolish or purposeless way; jabber.

to utter a succession of quick, inarticulate, speechlike sounds, as monkeys or certain birds.

to make a rapid clicking noise by striking together: His teeth were chattering from the cold.

Machinery. (of a cutting tool or piece of metal) to vibrate during cutting so as to produce surface flaws on the work.

verb (used with object)

to utter rapidly or purposelessly.

to cause to chatter, as the teeth from cold.

noun

purposeless or foolish talk.

a series of waves or ridges on the surface of a piece of metal that has been imperfectly drawn or extruded.

the act or sound of chattering.

online, phone, radio, or other electronic communication among people, often involving a harmful political activity such as espionage or terrorism: Officials were able to intercept and identify a high level of terrorist chatter in the weeks before the bombing attempt.

OTHER WORDS FOR chatter

2 clatter, click.

See synonyms for chatter on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of chatter

1200–50; Middle English chateren; imitative

OTHER WORDS FROM chatter

chat·ter·ing·ly, adverbchat·ter·y, adjectiveoutchatter, verb (used with object)un·chat·ter·ing, adjective

Words nearby chatter

Chattanooga, chattel, chattel house, chattel mortgage, chattel slavery, chatter, chatterati, chatterbox, chatterer, chattering class, chattering classes

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chatter in a sentence

As it begins to starve, the supply of plant health-promoting metabolites it previously delivered to its plant host plummets, and their once vibrant chemical chatter falls quiet.
Junk Food Is Bad For Plants, Too - Issue 90: Something Green|Anne Biklé & David R. Montgomery|September 23, 2020|Nautilus
The moves come amid chatter that the San Francisco–based cryptocurrency giant, which was valued at $8 billion in late 2018, is preparing to go public in coming months.
Coinbase shuffles board ahead of rumored IPO, Marc Andreessen joins as observer|Jeff|August 31, 2020|Fortune
Sparked by some chatter about building a virtual campus away from campus, Jeffery Yu ’22 turned to the world-building game Minecraft.
The Minecraft Institvte of Technology|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
He knew that random workplace chatter can help people build trust and form bonds.
Remote workers want to re-create those watercooler moments, virtually|Tanya Basu|August 17, 2020|MIT Technology Review

While we know content and links are still important signals, there is always chatter about elements that Google has repeatedly stated don’t actually affect rankings.
SEO myth-busting: What is not a Google search ranking factor|Barry Schwartz|August 5, 2020|Search Engine Land
Internet chatter rose to a deafening roar as speculation began about what—plastic surgery?
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These comments are actually tame compared to the off-the-charts, scary chatter heard from the GOP last week.
Republicans Want You Scared of Ebola|Dean Obeidallah|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, the chatter for the past year on the anti-gay fringe has been of resistance.
The Right Wing Screams for the Wambulance Over Gay Marriage Ruling|Walter Olson|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps organizers will simply give up and settle for chatter.
The Real Housewives of Miss America|Kate Shindle|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This constant Internet chatter allows people to not take responsibility for themselves.
Into the Grindr of the Gay Dating Game: Sex, Death, and Aging in ‘Stealing Sam’|Tim Teeman|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And he spoke pleasantly to Grandfather Mole, in a soft sort of chatter, because he didn't want to alarm him.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Every morning an old jackdaw perched on a chimney outside our skylight, and entertained us with his chatter.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
She thought of the night she had spent upon the heath; and her cheeks grew cold and her teeth began to chatter.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
She did not heed or hear the chatter of her companions; she did not see that somebody had handed her a note.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
When the curtain fell the audience rose to chatter and comment, and were a long time before they dispersed.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux

British Dictionary definitions for chatter

chatter

/ (ˈtʃætə) /

verb

to speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly; prattle

(intr) (of birds, monkeys, etc) to make rapid repetitive high-pitched noises resembling human speech

(intr) (of the teeth) to click together rapidly through cold or fear

(intr) to make rapid intermittent contact with a component, as in machining, causing irregular cutting

noun

idle or foolish talk; gossip

the high-pitched repetitive noise made by a bird, monkey, etc

the rattling of objects, such as parts of a machine

Also called: chatter mark the undulating pattern of marks in a machined surface from the vibration of the tool or workpiece

Derived forms of chatter

chattery, adjective

Word Origin for chatter

C13: 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

chatter

OTHER WORDS FOR chatter

Origin of chatter

OTHER WORDS FROM chatter

Words nearby chatter

Words related to chatter

How to use chatter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chatter

Derived forms of chatter

Word Origin for chatter