as in prattle
unintelligible or meaningless talk
the baby's good-natured babble and random gurglings were cute, but not very helpful in determining what he wanted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to chatter
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
in such a rush to tell us the news that she just babbled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to chat
to engage in casual or rambling conversation
the little girls babbled contentedly for the whole ride home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of babble
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
My son, Birdie, is babbling, crawling, grinning at me with a sparkle in his eye and giving me slobbery kisses all day every day.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024
In another video, the family of four could be seen taking a ride in a golf cart filled with beach day supplies as Jupiter excitedly babbled in the background.
—Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for babble 
Verb
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
My son, Birdie, is babbling, crawling, grinning at me with a sparkle in his eye and giving me slobbery kisses all day every day.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 15 Oct. 2024
In another video, the family of four could be seen taking a ride in a golf cart filled with beach day supplies as Jupiter excitedly babbled in the background.
—Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for babble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for babble
Noun
-
She was getting winded on our walk, and her prattle was broken up by heavy breaths.—
Joshua Cohen,
The New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2024
-
The larcenous prattle is, in this sense, a typically Wiig-ian set piece: sunny, strained and flailing for dignity.—
Lili Loofbourow,
Washington Post,
20 Mar. 2024
Verb
-
Dozens of schoolmates chattered happily under the pines, kicking a soccer ball on sun-streaked grass, climbing a play structure and scarfing down pizza.—
Teresa Watanabe,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2025
-
In addition, the award-winning and emerging writers were asked to include three of eight items in each story: a shovel, the name Sandi, an undertaker, a Minnesota Twins baseball cap, chattering teeth, whistling, smoke and a mousetrap.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
24 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Other rewards can be chatting with a friend while folding laundry or going to a unique grocery store to make shopping more enticing, experts said.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2025
-
In the clip, Lamar paces around a greyscale football field, idly chatting on the phone with a friend.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
26 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The word had seemed like nonsense only a moment before.—
Anna Russell,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Having a terrible job where empty, pandering nonsense is handed down by corporate headquarters.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
In babies and toddlers, the first signs, such as drooling and scratching, may appear mild.—
Laura Dorwart,
Verywell Health,
7 Jan. 2025
-
Public health officials are urging residents who may have fed their pets Monarch raw products or other raw meat or dairy products, and who may have noticed their pet acting peculiar — lethargic, loss of motor control, drooling, etc. — to immediately contact their veterinarian.—
Susanne Rust,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
That is a location that president and candidate Trump talked quite a lot about, specifically as an example of immigration run amuck.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Before trying any supplement, talk with a healthcare provider.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
But when the disheveled, withdrawn ex-friend shows up in the locker room gibbering about an evil spirit, Sam is mortified, impulsively knocking to the ground the grungy-looking Mason jar that Tamira has been carrying around.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2023
-
For a while, police interest bent toward a Phud who had been warned he might be eliminated from the program, who had seemed almost exultant about the fire and gibbered gleefully about the media spotlight.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2018
Verb
-
So did her husband, former President Barack Obama, who could be seen conversing, smiling and laughing with Trump, his White House successor, for several minutes before the start of Carter's funeral.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA TODAY,
9 Jan. 2025
-
At an apparel level, the two do habitually converse—Coco Chanel launched her business making tennis dresses, and today’s athleisure has antecedents in Claire McCardell’s bodysuits and Y2K-era Prada Sport.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
8 Jan. 2025
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Thesaurus Entries Near babble
Cite this Entry
“Babble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/babble. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share