gab

¹

[gab]

verb (used without object)

gabbed, gabbing 

1. to talk or chat idly; chatter.

   Synonyms: schmooze, rap, yak, visit, gossip, chitchat

noun

1. idle talk; chatter.

gab

²

[gab]

noun

Machinery.

1. a hook or fork that engages temporarily with a moving rod or lever.

gab

³

[gab]

noun

Scot. Slang.

1. gob.

gab

¹

/ ɡæb /

verb

1. (intr) to talk excessively or idly, esp about trivial matters; gossip; chatter

noun

1. idle or trivial talk

2. ability to speak effortlessly, glibly, or persuasively

gab

²

/ ɡæb /

noun

1. a hook or open notch in a rod or lever that drops over the spindle of a valve to form a temporary connection for operating the valve

2. a pointed tool used in masonry

GAB

³

abbreviation

1. Gabon (international car registration)

Other Word Forms

• gabber noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gab¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun gab, gabbe “deceit, falsehood, idle talk”; probably from Old Norse gabba “to mock”; gabble

Origin of gab²

First recorded in 1790–95; origin uncertain; possibly from Dutch dialect gabbe “notch, gash”

Word History and Origins

Origin of gab¹

C18: variant of Northern dialect gob mouth, probably from Irish Gaelic gob beak, mouth

Origin of gab²

C18: probably from Flemish gabbe notch, gash

Idioms and Phrases

see gift of gab.

Example Sentences

A moment later a young man hollered at the older man to stop gabbing and get to work.

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Villarreal: He’s definitely up to no good, trying to find her weak spot to keep her from gabbing to authorities.

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Later that day, the couples go out for a rather awkward dinner, where the men are taciturn and grumpy and the women gab away.

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Michaels’ new friend Paul Simon would often be over, smoking a joint with his host and gabbing away until the wee small hours of the morning.

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It was a running joke that worked every time, but these segments made Kotb feel like a close friend you could gab with over margaritas after work.

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