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

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

Hugo House is steamy by comparison, a hotbed of nerves and gabble.

From Seattle Times

He poked his head into the doorway and began to gabble good-naturedly about something or other, and after a few minutes we picked up our drinks and followed him back to the living room.

From Literature

“Trust,” I say, gabbling in the release of endorphins, in a delirium, lying on my back on the wide, flat rock.

From New York Times

Harvey’s first collaboration with John Parish, Dance Hall at Louse Point, at its most strange and unpredictable: a gabbled, whispered vocal over a chaotic backing that occasionally resolves into something like an alt-rock chorus.

From The Guardian