prate

[ preyt ]

See synonyms for: prate prating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),prat·ed, prat·ing.

to talk excessively and pointlessly; babble: They prated on until I was ready to scream.

verb (used with object),prat·ed, prat·ing.

to utter in empty or foolish talk: to prate absurdities with the greatest seriousness.

noun

act of prating.
empty or foolish talk.

Origin of prate

1375–1425; late Middle English praten (v.) <Middle Dutch praeten.See prattle

Other 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.
America’s Meddlers Are Our Worst Enemies | Stefan Beck | October 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
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. Woodworth
After that let him who will prate of the feeling of identity and the consciousness of self.
Marguerite | Anatole France
Neither shalt thou prate even to thy own heart of 'those secrets known to all.'
Sartor Resartus | Thomas Carlyle
Uds life, Ill stick my knife in your guts an you prate to me so!
The Mermaid Series. Edited by H. Ellis. The best plays of the old dramatists. Thomas Dekker. Edited, with an introduction and notes by Ernest Rhys. | Thomas Dekker

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

prate

/ (preɪt) /

verb

(intr) to talk idly and at length; chatter
(tr) to utter in an idle or empty way

noun

idle or trivial talk; prattle; chatter

Origin of prate

C15: of Germanic origin; compare Middle Dutch prāten, Icelandic and Norwegian prata, Danish prate

Derived 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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