chatter

American  

[chat-er] / ˈtʃæt ər /

verb (used without object)

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

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

   Synonyms:

   click, clatter

3. to make a rapid clicking noise by striking together.

   His teeth were chattering from the cold.

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

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verb (used with object)

1. to utter rapidly or purposelessly.

2. to cause to chatter, as the teeth from cold.

noun

1. purposeless or foolish talk.

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

3. the act or sound of chattering.

4. 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.

chatter British  

/ ˈtʃætə /

verb

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

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

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

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

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noun

1. idle or foolish talk; gossip

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

3. the rattling of objects, such as parts of a machine

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

Other Word Forms

• chatteringly adverb
• chattery adjective
• outchatter verb (used with object)
• unchattering adjective

Etymology

Origin of chatter

1200–50; Middle English chateren; imitative

Example Sentences

Dishes clatter, steam bursts from large cooking pots and music is seeping through the bustling chatter of Russian pensioners, hunched over bowls of free meals in a Saint Petersburg soup kitchen.

From Barron's

Many of Mr. Powell’s political problems arise from this constant din of Fed chatter.

From The Wall Street Journal

When her folks finally found her, her teeth were chattering, and she was scared half to death, poor woman.

From Literature

We left Seth wheezing on the mat, his sleeping cloth pulled tight around him, teeth chattering.

From Literature

Intercontinental Exchange grew its data business in areas such as bonds, mortgages and even trading signals based on the chatter in Reddit forums.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• babble
• blather
• chat
• chitchat
• gossip