chatter
Americanverb (used without object)
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chatters,
present (3rd person singular)
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chattered,
past participle, past
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chattering
present participle
-
to talk rapidly in a foolish or purposeless way; jabber.
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to utter a succession of quick, inarticulate, speechlike sounds, as monkeys or certain birds.
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to make a rapid clicking noise by striking together.
His teeth were chattering from the cold.
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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)
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chatters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chattered,
past participle, past
-
chattering
present participle
-
to utter rapidly or purposelessly.
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to cause to chatter, as the teeth from cold.
noun
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purposeless or foolish talk.
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a series of waves or ridges on the surface of a piece of metal that has been imperfectly drawn or extruded.
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the act or sound of chattering.
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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.
verb
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to speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly; prattle
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(intr) (of birds, monkeys, etc) to make rapid repetitive high-pitched noises resembling human speech
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(intr) (of the teeth) to click together rapidly through cold or fear
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(intr) to make rapid intermittent contact with a component, as in machining, causing irregular cutting
noun
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idle or foolish talk; gossip
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the high-pitched repetitive noise made by a bird, monkey, etc
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the rattling of objects, such as parts of a machine
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Also called: chatter mark. the undulating pattern of marks in a machined surface from the vibration of the tool or workpiece
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chattersimple
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chatterssimple
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have chatteredperfect
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has chatteredperfect
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am chatteringprogressive
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are chatteringprogressive
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is chatteringprogressive
-
have been chatteringperfect progressive
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has been chatteringperfect progressive
Past
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chatteredsimple
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had chatteredperfect
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was chatteringprogressive
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were chatteringprogressive
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had been chatteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chatter
1200–50; Middle English chateren; imitative
Explanation
To chatter is to talk lightly or casually — to shoot the breeze or chitchat. You might chatter with your workmates about the weather or where you'll eat lunch. You probably chatter with your friends all the time without even thinking about it, gossiping or talking about unimportant things. You can call the talk itself chatter too: "The chatter in the cafeteria was so loud I couldn't hear myself think." In the 13th century, it was chateren, from an imitative Middle English root.
Vocabulary lists containing chatter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For the past year or so, I’ve been tuned in to incessant chatter about cortisol, the hormone most famously associated with stress.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
Much of the online chatter focused on speculation about what punishment the students received.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The first reason for Rubner’s optimism is that corporate earnings are about to dominate market chatter for several weeks — and they’re expected to be very strong, on an aggregate basis, once again.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
That brings me back to the incident many years ago, as I stood in the Russian woods with my friend, underdressed and with my teeth beginning to chatter.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
The old ladies chatter like schoolgirls, blissfully unaware.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Eli Sabin won the Democratic nomination for the Connecticut state house of Representatives on Tuesday, following a hard-fought campaign.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
"I had no one to talk to all day -- to the point my mouth almost felt stale from not speaking. But then this little one came along and chatters with me all the time."
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
A union representing such workers - known as "chatters" - told BBC News it was concerned about the "largely unregulated nature of this type of online work".
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
The motion-activated device chatters like a loud, anxious cricket as people pass by the shopping center.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2025
She stands on her hind legs and chatters angrily at Ma.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
Then gossips chattered that a huge “bear raid,” or manipulation of stocks by short sellers, would be launched the following morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
On a recent Saturday in July, as the sun set behind East L.A. club Don Quixote, a line of black-clothed and face-pierced youths chattered excitedly outside the venue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
Supporters dressed in pink – their candidate's favourite colour – chattered in anticipation of her arrival.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2025
The upperclasswomen covertly reviewed us like swimsuit models for poise and grace, sipping on Diet Cokes and whispering as we all chattered nervously.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2023
They saw the first moving pictures on Edison’s Kinetoscope, and they watched, stunned, as lightning chattered from Nikola Tesla’s body.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
"Through the teeth chattering, he had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff," White added.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
As the sky darkened over the white stucco church framed in palm trees and the dry peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains, fringed teenagers made their way inside, shaking their limbs and chattering in excitement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
“Game recognizes game,” the aide who’d been chattering in his ear said as they walked away.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
They were chattering innocently and said they’d been to the cookie store on Lincoln Avenue and were headed home, to a house that survived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
When the Shareefs weren’t stuffing their mouths, they were chattering happily.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
