Home US English babble

Definition of babble in English:

babble

See synonyms for babble

Translate babble into Spanish

intransitive verb

[no object]

  • 1Talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way.

    • ‘they babbled on about their vacation’
    prattle, rattle on, gabble, chatter, jabber, twitter, go on, run on, prate, ramble, burble, blather, blether, blither, maunder, drivel, patter, yap, jibber-jabber
    View synonyms
    1. 1.1reporting verb Utter something rapidly and incoherently.
      • ‘I gasped and stared and babbled, “Look at this!”’
      delirious, raving, babbling, hysterical, irrational
      View synonyms
    2. 1.2Reveal something secret or confidential by talking carelessly.
      • ‘he babbled to another convict while he was in jail’
      blurt out, blab, reveal, divulge, let slip, let out, give away, come out with
      View synonyms

  • 2(of flowing water) make a continuous murmuring sound.

    • ‘the shallow river babbled over smooth rocks’
    burble, murmur, gurgle, purl, tinkle
    View synonyms

Pronunciation

babble

/ˈbab(ə)l/ /ˈbæb(ə)l/

mass noun

mass noun

  • 1The sound of people talking simultaneously.

    ‘the answers were difficult to hear amid the babble of conversation’
    • ‘a confused babble of voices’
    clamour, din, racket, confused noise, tumult, uproar, hubbub
    View synonyms
    1. 1.1Foolish, excited, or confused talk.
      • ‘her soft voice stopped his babble’
      prattle, gabble, chatter, jabber, prating, rambling, blather, blether
      View synonyms

  • 2The continuous murmuring sound of flowing water.

    • ‘the babble of a brook’
    babble, burble, purl, lap
    View synonyms

Pronunciation

babble

/ˈbab(ə)l/ /ˈbæb(ə)l/

Origin

Middle English from Middle Low German babbelen, or an independent English formation, as a frequentative based on the repeated syllable ba, typical of a child's early speech.