blubber

1 of 2

verb

blub·​ber ˈblə-bər 

blubbered; blubbering ˈblə-b(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to weep noisily

transitive verb

1

: to swell, distort, or wet with weeping

2

: to utter while weeping

blubber

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the fat of whales and other large marine mammals

b

: excessive fat on the body

2

: the action of blubbering

Synonyms

Verb

• bawl
• blub [chiefly British]
• cry
• sob
• weep

Examples of blubber in a Sentence

Verb

Oh, stop blubbering, you big baby!

the poor child was blubbering because he had fallen and skinned his knee

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And then raised the teacup to my lips to keep from blubbering. —Alice McDermott, Harper's Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023

Stepping into the impossible shoes of Crispin Glover, Cole’s rubber-limbed George McFly has all the grace of a newborn foal, with a piercing chuckle that borders on blubbering. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 4 Aug. 2023

Noun

Giving humpbacks time to migrate south The delay is meant to provide more time for the whales to migrate south for the winter after building up blubber feeding off the shore. —Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024

This was a revival of an older recipe, we were told, but the chicken was a blob of blubber with the consistency of paper. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blubren to make a bubbling sound, from bluber

Noun

Middle English bluber bubble, foam, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

blubber

1 of 2 noun

blub·​ber ˈbləb-ər 

1

: the fat of whales and other large sea mammals

2

: the action of blubbering

blubber

2 of 2 verb

blubbered; blubbering

-(ə-)riŋ

1

: to weep noisily

2

: to talk and weep at the same time