gabble

[ gab-uhl ]

/ ˈgæb əl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for gabble on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), gab·bled, gab·bling.

to speak or converse rapidly and unintelligibly; jabber.

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

verb (used with object), gab·bled, gab·bling.

to utter rapidly and unintelligibly.

noun

rapid, unintelligible talk.

any quick succession of meaningless sounds.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gabble

First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps from Middle Dutch gabbelen, or an expressive formation in English; cf. gab¹, gob⁴, -le

OTHER WORDS FROM gabble

gabbler, nounoutgabble, verb (used with object), out·gab·bled, out·gab·bling.

Words nearby gabble

Gabaonite, gabapentin, Gabar, gabardine, Gabbai, gabble, gabbro, gabby, Gabe, gabelle, gaberdine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use gabble in a sentence

“Doing more with less” is often management-gabble to justify arbitrary budget cuts.
Why Old-School Airships Now Rule Our Warzones|Bill Sweetman|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The excitement and gabble were worse than the Dean case, or Federation, and sickened me, for they were all on the wrong track.
Over the Sliprails|Henry Lawson
But no flight of arrows rattled among the boughs, and all we heard was the gabble of excited voices.
Mass' George|George Manville Fenn
The lovely gabble of the cranes and the wild swans comes back to me whenever I think of the place.
Thirty Years in Australia|Ada Cambridge

"You must be drunk yourself to come here waking me up in the middle of the night, to hear this idle gabble," said Louis angrily.
File No. 113|Emile Gaboriau
Two incidents alone relieved the dead level of idiocy and incomprehensible gabble.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. XXII (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for gabble

gabble

/ (ˈɡæbəl) /

verb

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

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

noun

rapid and indistinct speech or noises

Derived forms of gabble

gabbler, noun

Word Origin for gabble

C17: from Middle Dutch gabbelen, of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

gabble

Origin of gabble

OTHER WORDS FROM gabble

Words nearby gabble

Words related to gabble

How to use gabble in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gabble

Derived forms of gabble

Word Origin for gabble