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

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

How to use chatter in a sentence

There is some excitable chatter on Twitter and other places suggesting that two of the other astronauts might be actor Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman, who have been in talks with NASA about filming a movie on the ISS.
A private company has a crew going to the ISS next year|Neel Patel|November 12, 2020|MIT Technology Review
It’s now best known for its “customer experience management” software, which brings together a variety of data sources, including surveys, social media chatter, and direct customer feedback.
Who is Ryan Smith, new owner of the Utah Jazz?|dzanemorris|October 28, 2020|Fortune
You have to jump in and offer relevant content that outshines other chatter before the topic shifts.
How to navigate social media marketing trends|Arjun Rai|October 6, 2020|Search Engine Watch
The lunar night is long, and the radio chatter nearly nonexistent.
The Far Side of the Moon Is an Ideal Place to Listen For Alien Civilizations|Jason Dorrier|October 4, 2020|Singularity Hub

In the 1990s, while listening in on the brain’s electrical chatter in sleeping mice, memory researchers stumbled across a perplexing finding.
How a Memory Quirk of the Human Brain Can Galvanize AI|Shelly Fan|September 28, 2020|Singularity Hub
Time and again, the author confuses chattering class dissatisfaction with an honest assessment of accomplishment.
Chuck Todd’s Lousy Obama Takedown|William O’Connor|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At this point, it becomes hard to hear Malloy over the chattering of the attendees, who have begun to move on to other things.
Dan Malloy Is Progressives’ Dream Governor. So Why Isn’t He Winning?|David Freedlander|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Chuck Todd took over Meet the Press barely a month ago, and already the chattering class is nattering for his head.
Jon Stewart and 'Meet The Press' Would Have Been One Unhappy Marriage|Lloyd Grove|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He called her “a silly chattering windbag, an infernal liar, a conceited, gushing, rump-wagging, blethering ass.”
Gertrude of Arabia, the Woman Who Invented Iraq|Clive Irving|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Before she finished I began to paint, and she resumed the pose, smiling and chattering like a sparrow.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had leaped very smartly to this point of vantage, nevertheless he found Jumbo there before him, chattering worse than ever!
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
"Stiff and cold," said Dorothy, her teeth chattering in her head, and a deeper pallor settling on her face.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
Slowly but surely Reff Ritter came up out of the icy water, his teeth chattering loudly.
The Mystery at Putnam Hall|Arthur M. Winfield
The silent parterre would be gay with a giddy, chattering mob of Society people before long, Vera hurriedly explained.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
Apparently Kopee had seen it from the tree-top as he was chattering with great excitement to tell me it was coming.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji

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 related to chatter

How to use chatter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chatter

Derived forms of chatter

Word Origin for chatter