gurgle

American  

[gur-guhl] / ˈgɜr gəl /

verb (used without object)

gurgled, gurgling

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)

gurgled, gurgling

1. to utter or express with a gurgling sound.

   The baby gurgled her delight.

noun

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

• gurgling adjective
• gurglingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of gurgle

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

Example Sentences

When he meets adults he stares at them and takes them in, then kindly smiles and gurgles and lets them pat him, ruffle his hair, and take his face in their hands.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lady Constance delighted in each one, and she personally wrote countless prompt thank-you notes while the babies gurgled in their cradle.

From Literature

It was as if all the pluck and hope and optimism in the world had just gurgled down the bathtub drain, and there was nothing left anywhere but gloom.

From Literature

The robot became aware of a gurgling sound, and then a cluster of towering rocks emerged.

From Literature

"But which tremor signals are true precursors of an eruption, and which are just background 'gurgling'? Our results lay the foundation for improving eruption forecasting in the future."

From Science Daily