gurgle

American  

[gur-guhl] / ˈgɜr gəl /

verb (used without object)

gurgles, present (3rd person singular) gurgled, past participle, past gurgling present participle

1. to flow in a broken, irregular, noisy current.

   The water gurgled from the bottle.

   Synonyms:

   babble, burble, bubble

2. to make a sound as of water doing this (often used of birds or of human beings).

   Synonyms:

   babble, burble, bubble

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verb (used with object)

gurgles, present (3rd person singular) gurgled, past participle, past gurgling present participle

1. to utter or express with a gurgling sound.

   The baby gurgled her delight.

noun

gurgles plural

1. the act or noise of gurgling.

gurgle British  

/ ˈɡɜːɡəl /

verb

1. (of liquids, esp of rivers, streams, etc) to make low bubbling noises when flowing

2. to utter low throaty bubbling noises, esp as a sign of contentment

   the baby gurgled with delight

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noun

1. the act or sound of gurgling

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gurgling
  adjective
• gurglingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gurgles
  plural

Participles

• gurgling
  present
• gurgled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• gurgle
  simple
• gurgles
  simple
• have gurgled
  perfect
• has gurgled
  perfect
• am gurgling
  progressive
• are gurgling
  progressive
• is gurgling
  progressive
• have been gurgling
  perfect progressive
• has been gurgling
  perfect progressive

Past

• gurgled
  simple
• had gurgled
  perfect
• was gurgling
  progressive
• were gurgling
  progressive
• had been gurgling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will gurgle
  simple
• will have gurgled
  perfect
• will be gurgling
  progressive
• will have been gurgling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of gurgle

First recorded in 1555–65; compare Dutch, Middle Low German gorgelen, German gurgeln “to gargle”; akin to Latin gurguliō “throat”

Explanation

To gurgle is to make a sound like bubbling or splashing water. Not to be confusing, but when you gargle mouthwash, you probably gurgle. People gurgle when they say something (or make a noise) with an accompanying wet, gurgling sound. Your stomach might gurgle too, especially when you're hungry. And liquid itself gurgles, like a stream that gurgles over rocks or sweet iced tea that gurgles from a bottle into your glass. Experts aren't sure if gurgle is an imitative word, from the sound itself, or if it's rooted in Latin.

Example Sentences

Its tick was a low-key gurgle and the alarm a dignified two-bell chime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

She expected to hear icebergs calving off the glacier—perhaps even the low, garden-hose gurgle of a subglacial river gushing out from underneath the glacier.

From National Geographic • Sep. 7, 2023

But the last time I called, he could only gurgle on the phone, having suffered a stroke.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 24, 2023

I see it in the hummingbirds flitting past my window, hear it in the gurgle of my emptying dishwasher and feel it in the vibration of the cellphone in my pocket.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2023

Except for the occasional gurgle of running water and the tiny shuffle of wind-stirred leaves along the forest floor, there was almost never a sound.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson