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• gab
  gab

  verb (used without object)

  to talk or chat idly; chatter.
• GAB
  GAB

  abbreviation

  Gabon (international car registration)

gab

¹ American  

[gab] / gæb /

verb (used without object)

gabs, present (3rd person singular) gabbed, past participle, past gabbing present participle

1. to talk or chat idly; chatter.

   Synonyms:

   schmooze, rap, yak, visit, gossip, chitchat

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noun

1. idle talk; chatter.

gab ² American  

[gab] / gæb /

noun

Machinery.

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

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gab ³ American  

[gab] / gæb /

noun

Scot. Slang.

1. gob.

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gab ¹ British  

/ ɡæb /

verb

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

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noun

1. idle or trivial talk

2. ability to speak effortlessly, glibly, or persuasively

gab ² British  

/ 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

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GAB ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Gabon (international car registration)

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gab Idioms  

1. see gift of gab.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gabber
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• gabbing
  present
• gabbed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• gab
  simple
• gabs
  simple
• have gabbed
  perfect
• has gabbed
  perfect
• am gabbing
  progressive
• are gabbing
  progressive
• is gabbing
  progressive
• have been gabbing
  perfect progressive
• has been gabbing
  perfect progressive

Past

• gabbed
  simple
• had gabbed
  perfect
• was gabbing
  progressive
• were gabbing
  progressive
• had been gabbing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will gab
  simple
• will have gabbed
  perfect
• will be gabbing
  progressive
• will have been gabbing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of gab¹

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

Origin of gab²

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

Explanation

When you gab, you chatter on and on. You might like to gab on the phone with your friend after school. To talk and talk, especially about gossipy or trivial things, is to gab. Your dad might gab over the fence with the neighbor, and you may sit in the front of the bus so you can gab with the friendly driver. You can also describe the chatter itself as gab. The oldest meaning of gab may come from thirteenth century Scottish dialect, "to reproach," although it may in fact be rooted in the Old French gobe, "mouthful or lump."

Example Sentences

Wearing a black-and-white ensemble that bares her midriff, she tucks her feet under her and treats our chat like a gab session.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026

"Laurent had the good-natured gab, Simone the uncompromising discourse," French newspaper Le Monde said of the Gbagbos' political partnership.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2025

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.

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2025

“America’s Talking gab grabbing cable viewers,” USA Today, July 6, 1995.

From Slate • Sep. 25, 2024

Tommie Kinnebrew was also new, and we’d learned her name against our will by the sheer force of her gab on the first day of school.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez