baby talk

American  

noun

1. the speech of children learning to talk, marked by syntactic differences from adult speech and by phonetic modifications like lisping, lalling, and the omission and substitution of sounds.

2. Also called parentese.  a style of speech used by adults in addressing children, pets, or sweethearts, and formed in imitation of the voice and pronunciation of children learning to talk: it is generally characterized in English by the addition of diminutive endings to words, the use of special words and pet names, and the systematic distortion of certain words, as dolly for doll, teensy-weensy for tiny, oo for you, and twain for train.

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baby talk British  

noun

1. the speech of very young children learning to talk

2. an adult's imitation of this

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Usage

Baby Talk is used as a label in this dictionary for well-known terms traditionally thought to exemplify the type of baby talk used by adults.

Etymology

Origin of baby talk

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baby talk

I’ve noted before the show’s Bill Whitaker pushing aside the UFO baby talk to give an honest account of enemy drones in U.S. military training sites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Other parents said their children have been having potty accidents again, speaking in baby talk or gibberish, sleeping in their parents’ bed and throwing tantrums over small changes in routines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2025

His train of thought was idiotic, but it wasn't derailing into "ding boom" or baby talk.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2024

Even a stranger at the park might coo to them in baby talk.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 24, 2022

So that’s what I do until Jaimito wakes up smiling and chat- tering in baby talk.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau