babble

verb

bab·​ble ˈba-bəl 

babbled; babbling ˈba-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to talk enthusiastically or excessively

b

: to utter meaningless or unintelligible sounds

2

: to make sounds as though babbling

transitive verb

1

: to utter in an incoherently or meaninglessly repetitious manner

2

: to reveal by talk that is too free

babble noun

babblement

ˈba-bəl-mənt 

noun

babbler

ˈba-b(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms

• bumble
• chat
• chatter
• drivel
• drool
• gabble
• gibber
• jabber
• prattle
• sputter

Examples of babble in a Sentence

Pay no attention to her. She's just babbling.

He'll babble on about sports all night if you let him.

Her cousins were babbling in an unfamiliar dialect.

Recent Examples on the Web

Our son was babbling at first, then suddenly started laughing uncontrollably, totally fixated on something above his crib. —Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024

And the talking petunias who babble away incessantly are undoubtedly my nieces and nephews. —Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Nov. 2024

The sketch opened with James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump putting on a fluorescent sanitation worker vest and babbling to himself in exhaustion. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 2 Nov. 2024

Feel the raw power of St. Lucia's volcanic formation at the island's Sulphur Springs, hidden among babbling rivers and waterfalls in the jungle near Soufrière. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English babelen, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

Kids Definition

babble

1 of 2 verb

bab·​ble

ˈbab-əl

babbled; babbling

ˈbab-(ə-)liŋ

1

a

: to make meaningless sounds

b

: to talk foolishly or too much

2

: to make the sound of a brook

babbler

ˈbab-(ə-)lər

noun

babble

2 of 2 noun

1

: talk that is not clear

2

: the sound of a brook