gabble

American  

[gab-uhl] / ˈgæb əl /

verb (used without object)

gabbled, gabbling

1. to speak or converse rapidly and unintelligibly; jabber.

2. (of hens, geese, etc.) to cackle.

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verb (used with object)

gabbled, gabbling

1. to utter rapidly and unintelligibly.

noun

1. rapid, unintelligible talk.

2. any quick succession of meaningless sounds.

gabble British  

/ ˈɡæbəl /

verb

1. to utter (words, etc) rapidly and indistinctly; jabber

2. (intr) (of geese and some other birds or animals) to utter rapid cackling noises

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noun

1. rapid and indistinct speech or noises

Other Word Forms

• gabbler noun
• outgabble verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of gabble

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps from Middle Dutch gabbelen, or an expressive formation in English; gab ¹, gob ⁴, -le

Explanation

When you gabble, you talk so fast that you can barely be understood. A nervous public speaker might gabble for several minutes before she's able to get her point across. If you're gossiping about a neighbor and suddenly realize he's standing behind you, you might gabble for a while from the sheer awkwardness of the situation. Your grandmother might declare that she doesn't understand the music you like, saying, "They don't sing — they just gabble!" Gabble is a noun, too, meaning the sound itself: "See? It's all just gabble!" Gabble has a Dutch root, gabbelen, which is imitative — it sounds just like what it means.

Example Sentences

And Lucky’s monologue—veering inanely through realms including religion, academics and sports—is delivered by Mr. Thornton not, as it usually is, as a galloping pile of gabble, but with a musing seriousness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 29, 2025

At 41, he is disarmingly boyish, with a cherub’s fleshy face and a tendency to gabble enthusiastically when a subject excites him.

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2016

The book consists entirely of the gabble and complaints of those buried in a village cemetery.

From Washington Post • Apr. 8, 2015

The machines wink, dials twitch, numbers gabble across screens.

From The Guardian • Jun. 11, 2012

From the table at Winston’s left, a little behind his back, someone was talking rapidly and continuously, a harsh gabble almost like the quacking of a duck, which pierced the general uproar of the room.

From "1984" by George Orwell