jabber

[ jab-er ]

/ ˈdʒæb ər /

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See synonyms for: jabber / jabbering / jabberer on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object)

to talk or utter rapidly, indistinctly, incoherently, or nonsensically; chatter.

noun

rapid, indistinct, or nonsensical talk; gibberish.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of jabber

1490–1500; apparently imitative; cf. gibber, gab¹

OTHER WORDS FROM jabber

jab·ber·er, nounjab·ber·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jabber in a sentence

Why do you think you were “an asperg-y movie fan…a jabbering repellent acolyte?”
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire|William O’Connor|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She toddled off to the playground, still jabbering to herself, evoking giggles from the Hawa staff.
The Life of a Liberian Child with Ebola|Sarah Crowe|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anne Marie was in her element, jabbering away in heavily accented Liberian English, the center of attention.
The Life of a Liberian Child with Ebola|Sarah Crowe|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are banksia bushes with their sawtooth-edge leaves and dried seed cones like multiple jabbering mouths.
Robert Hughes: A Fierce Critic and Powerful Voice Now Silenced|Simon Schama|August 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The sailors crept up one by one, but they only gathered in a jabbering knot, and scowled at the Englishman heavily.
The Chequers|James Runciman
Hardly had we gone two more blocks when the screaming and jabbering monkey fell upon us.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
On shore, we were at once surrounded by a mob of jabbering Hatiens, speaking—well, its hard to say just what.
Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2|Ida May Hill Starr
Instantly they began to crowd round him, a dozen jabbering all at once.
Left on Labrador|Charles Asbury Stephens
We could hear them shouting, screaming, and jabbering, and the dogs barking.
Left on Labrador|Charles Asbury Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for jabber

jabber

/ (ˈdʒæbə) /

verb

to speak or say rapidly, incoherently, and without making sense; chatter

noun

such talk

Derived forms of jabber

jabberer, noun

Word Origin for jabber

C15: of imitative origin; compare gibber 1

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

jabber

Origin of jabber

OTHER WORDS FROM jabber

Words related to jabber

How to use jabber in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jabber

Derived forms of jabber

Word Origin for jabber