gurgle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
gurgles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gurgled,
past participle, past
-
gurgling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
gurgles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gurgled,
past participle, past
-
gurgling
present participle
noun
-
gurgles
plural
verb
-
(of liquids, esp of rivers, streams, etc) to make low bubbling noises when flowing
-
to utter low throaty bubbling noises, esp as a sign of contentment
the baby gurgled with delight
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gurglesimple
-
gurglessimple
-
have gurgledperfect
-
has gurgledperfect
-
am gurglingprogressive
-
are gurglingprogressive
-
is gurglingprogressive
-
have been gurglingperfect progressive
-
has been gurglingperfect progressive
Past
-
gurgledsimple
-
had gurgledperfect
-
was gurglingprogressive
-
were gurglingprogressive
-
had been gurglingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing gurgle
Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Lend Me Your Ears: Sound Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ghost Boys
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
Noises boomed unnaturally loud: the gurgle of the river, the hoo-hoo of an owl; the famished yipping of that infuriating cub.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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 ● Nov. 26, 2025
No cries or gurgles, the unnerving silence in the room is only broken by the high-pitched beeps of a pulse rate monitor.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2024
On a visit to a Texas ostrich farm, the researchers recorded 11 types of calls, ranging from high frequency peeps and gurgles in baby ostriches to low frequency boos and booms in adult males.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
They also sound very different — while humpback whales are known for their haunting songs, gray whales make gurgles, grunts and croaks.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
It’s a pleasant little stream that gurgles through the Alisal against the Gabilan Mountains on the east of the Salinas Valley.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Serene spa music, a blend of classical piano and loudly chirping birds, trilled in the background as the machine sloshed and gurgled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
One-year-old Dilesh gurgled happily, playing with others who work there, while Netam answered questions from Poyam: “What will the doctor ask me? Do I need documents? Can my husband come to visit me?”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
Rock pigeons cooed and gurgled inside small crevices in the cave walls, marred in places by graffiti from long-ago visitors.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 22, 2021
She recalls trying to say “stop what are you doing,” but it came out as a gurgled mess.
From The Verge ● Nov. 29, 2017
It lit up the valley around them, the rushing river gurgled and splashed, the giant trees swayed in the frigid breeze, the grass looked touched with silver.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
There were gurgling, cooing, month-and-a-half old newborns in Brooklyn and Westchester who had never known the soul-emptying pain of a crushing Knicks defeat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Our route through quiet corridors reveals the hidden strains of this war: just one newborn gurgling in a cot, and one woman in labour.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
Soon Conor’s two preoccupations will unite in an offbeat way when a bug gets crushed in his slow-acting printer while it’s gurgling out a portrait.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Soundscape environmental composer Annea Lockwood dived deep into gripping, gurgling water sounds that were electronically enhanced and got the joint jumping with her piano percussion duo “Jitterbug,” performed by Vicki Ray and Wesley Sumpter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2024
Bacon is sizzling on the stovetop; the coffeepot is gurgling in its corner.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
