prate
to talk excessively and pointlessly; babble: They prated on until I was ready to scream.
to utter in empty or foolish talk: to prate absurdities with the greatest seriousness.
act of prating.
empty or foolish talk.
Origin of prate
1Other words from prate
- prater, noun
- prat·ing·ly, adverb
- un·prat·ing, adjective
Words Nearby prate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use prate in a sentence
Golden Age-of-TV evangelists prate on about which glorified soap operas are most deserving of our rapt attention.
But I am transgressing the rule I laid down for myself in the outset of these stories—not to prate much about my own pets.
Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match | Francis C. WoodworthAfter that let him who will prate of the feeling of identity and the consciousness of self.
Marguerite | Anatole FranceNeither shalt thou prate even to thy own heart of 'those secrets known to all.'
Sartor Resartus | Thomas CarlyleUds life, Ill stick my knife in your guts an you prate to me so!
My fanaticism is, that I insist on the American people abolishing Slavery, or ceasing to prate of the rights of man.
No Compromise with Slavery | William Lloyd Garrison
British Dictionary definitions for prate
/ (preɪt) /
(intr) to talk idly and at length; chatter
(tr) to utter in an idle or empty way
idle or trivial talk; prattle; chatter
Origin of prate
1Derived forms of prate
- prater, noun
- pratingly, adverb
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
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