chatter
Americanverb (used without object)
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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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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
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.
Chatter around the growing spending gap between the upper, middle and lower classes says we’re in an E-shaped economy — see where you fit in.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
Chatter about the company’s potential to host data centers on its vast acreage picked up late last year, sending the stock soaring in October and November.
From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025
Submit a Listener Chatter to [email protected] and you might be picked to chatter live.
From Slate • Feb. 29, 2024
Chatter around the unexpected couple began earlier this month.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2023
Chatter breaks out when I tell the Elders we found it.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Definitions 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.
