bubble

1 of 2

noun

bub·​ble ˈbə-bəl 

plural bubbles

1

: a small globule that is typically hollow and light: such as

a

: a small body of gas within a liquid

air bubbles in the water

bubbles rising in champagne

b

: a thin film of liquid inflated with air or gas

soap bubbles

c

: a globule in a transparent solid

… the bubbles and blisters typical of 19th century glass.

—Packaging Magazine

d

: something (such as a plastic or inflatable structure) that is hemispherical or semicylindrical

With the ground apt to warm up to 110 degrees or so, and a greenhouse effect inside the glass bubble of the cockpit, … the pilot has to endure temperatures that may exceed 120 degrees.

—Laurence Gonzales

2

a

: something that lacks firmness, solidity, or reality

A dream of what thou wast … a breath, a bubble …

—William Shakespeare

b

: a delusive or fraudulent scheme or undertaking

—often used in the capitalized names of specific bubbles

At about the same time as the South Sea episode, France was going through a financial lunacy of its own, the so-called Mississippi Bubble. Stocks in a fanciful scheme for developing the Louisiana wilderness rose so rapidly that, in 1719, an investment of a few thousand livres yielded millions in a matter of weeks.

—Kevin Jackson

3

: a sound of or like that of bubbling or gurgling liquid

bubbles of laughter

The pauses in the dull beating of the surf were filled up by … the cold faint bubble of the brook over its stony bed.

—Wilkie Collins

4

: magnetic bubble

5

: a state of booming economic activity (as in a stock market) that often ends in a sudden collapse

With Wall Street otherwise limping along, the health-care industry is making investment bankers feel better than they have since the tech bubble burst.

—Linda Stern

… the housing bubble, which allowed working-class and middle-class families to raise their standard of living despite income stagnation or downward job mobility.

—Don Peck

6

: the condition of being at risk of exclusion or replacement (as from a tournament)

—usually used in the phrase on the bubble

teams still on the bubble for the playoffs

7

a

: an enclosed or isolated sphere of experience or activity in which the like-minded members of a homogeneous community support and reinforce their shared opinions

the liberal/conservative bubble

Countless people … complain that Facebook employees are increasingly living in a bubble.

—Nick Bilton

b

: a usually small group of people (such as family members, friends, coworkers, or classmates) who regularly interact closely with one another but with few or no others in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection during an outbreak of a contagious disease : pod entry 3 sense 2

A quarantine bubble is a group of individuals or families whose members have been safely quarantining and who can now start hanging out with other observant groups, so long as the families observe safety guidelines and agree to be exclusive.

—Jennifer Weiner

If students suspect that they have the virus or test positive, they will move into a separate isolation housing complex, and university officials will trace their contacts. After the second round of testing, students will be expected to remain in designated cohorts or social bubbles, limiting contact with others.

—Danielle Echeverria

c

: an area within which sports teams stay isolated from the general public during a series of scheduled games so as to prevent exposure to disease and that includes accommodations, amenities, and the location at which the games are held

In the days leading up to the NBA's Florida reboot, New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick contemplated what provisions to bring for a stay in the Orlando bubble that would last at least five weeks. He initially focused only on the necessities and packed light. Then on July 8, once he arrived with the Pelicans at their appointed hotel, the Yacht Club, Redick gauged his room and hotel amenities.

—Baxter Holmes

The NHL "bubble" consists of limited areas in two hub cities—Edmonton and Toronto—where team personnel will be required to remain as the league tries to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Each club is taking up one floor in a designated hotel. Other access areas include arenas, practice facilities, dining destinations (hotel restaurants and bars, and conference areas where food is brought in) and "other demarcated areas (indoor and outdoor)," according to the league's Phase 4 protocols.

—Tom Gatto

d

: a series of scheduled games that is played between sports teams staying in a bubble

Oklahoma City … has already clinched a playoff spot and is 3-3 in the bubble.

—Reuters

bubble

2 of 2

verb

bubbled; bubbling ˈbə-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to form or produce bubbles

b

: to rise in or as if in bubbles

—usually used with up

2

: to flow with a gurgling sound

a brook bubbling over rocks

3

a

: to become lively or effervescent

bubbling with good humor

b

: to speak in a lively and fluent manner

transitive verb

1

: to utter (something) effervescently

2

: to cause to bubble

Phrases

burst someone's bubble

informal : to cause someone to suddenly realize that something believed, trusted, or admired is not really true, good, etc.

I hate to burst your bubble high school seniors, but, for most of you, the dreaded cafeteria food isn't going to get any better.

—Sarah Tarr

Synonyms

Verb

• dribble
• guggle
• gurgle
• lap
• plash
• ripple
• splash
• trickle
• wash

Examples of bubble in a Sentence

Noun

They saw air bubbles in the water.

There were bubbles in the ice.

The Internet stock bubble finally burst.

Verb

the soapy water bubbled down the drain

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The stage show and film both open with Glinda descending from the sky in a bubble to announce to the residents of Munchkinland that the Wicked Witch is indeed dead. —Megan McCluskey, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024

Magnetospheres provide a protective bubble around planets with magnetic cores and magnetic fields, shielding them from the sun's harmful flow of gas (or plasma) streaming out in solar winds. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2024

Verb

Scrubbing Bubbles: While it's intended as a bathroom cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles has proven to be an effective way to clean fireplace brick, as its bubbling cleaning properties pull the grime off the brick. —Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2024

Whenever speculation about Sassaman bubbles periodically to the surface, the spotlight is thrown on his widow, software developer Meredith Patterson, who believes the theory is unfounded. —Joel Khalili, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bobel

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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

Phrases Containing bubble

• bubble and squeak
• bubble bath
• bubble butt
• bubble chamber
• bubble gum
• bubble memory
• burst someone's bubble
• filter bubble
• hubble-bubble
• magnetic bubble
• on the bubble
• soap bubble

Kids Definition

bubble

1 of 2 verb

bub·​ble ˈbəb-əl 

bubbled; bubbling

-(ə-)liŋ

1

: to form or produce bubbles

2

: to flow with a gurgling sound

a brook bubbling over rocks

3

: to be or become lively

bubbling with joy

bubble

2 of 2 noun

1

: a tiny round body of air or gas in a liquid

bubbles in boiling water

2

: a thin film of liquid filled with air or gas

soap bubbles

3

: a round body of air inside a solid

a bubble in glass