chatterbox

American  

[chat-er-boks] / ˈtʃæt ərˌbɒks /

noun

1. an excessively talkative person.

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chatterbox British  

/ ˈtʃætəˌbɒks /

noun

1. informal a person who talks constantly, esp about trivial matters

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Etymology

Origin of chatterbox

First recorded in 1765–75; i.e., person whose voice box chatters constantly

Explanation

A chatterbox is a person who tends to use a whole lot of words without having much of anything to say. If you're constantly whispering to your friend during math class, your annoyed teacher might call you a chatterbox. The informal word chatterbox is the perfect term for the annoying, incessant talker you always seem to end up sitting next to on long plane trips. Chatterbox dates from the 1770s, a combination of chatter, an echoic or onomatopoeic word, and box, giving chatterbox the sense of "a box or container full of idle chatter."

Example Sentences

Her Elphaba is quiet and tender, a perfect complement to Grande’s joke-cracking chatterbox Glinda.

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2024

Mia, 20 years old and a chatterbox, narrates a story about a missing person: her father.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2023

“I am not leaving here. I am ready for them to bury me here,” said Kahlon, a gruff but amiable chatterbox with a grey beard and beret.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 12, 2023

Candy’s Buck at first seems like a rehash of his “Planes, Trains” character, a vulgarian chatterbox hilariously out of his element.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2023

There was Tommie; the chubby chatterbox stayed chipper no matter what Miranda tried to bring her down.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez