1 babble | Definition of babble

babble

verb
bab·​ble | \ ˈba-bÉ™l How to pronounce babble (audio) \
babbled; babbling\ ˈba-​b(É™-​)liÅ‹ How to pronounce babbling (audio) \

Definition of babble

intransitive verb

1a : 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

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Other Words from babble

babble noun
babblement \ ˈba-​bÉ™l-​mÉ™nt How to pronounce babblement (audio) \ noun
babbler \ ˈba-​b(É™-​)lÉ™r How to pronounce babbler (audio) \ noun

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

Complete with digitally rendered googly eyes, the carnivorous plant babbles about the necessity of composting humans if an ecological collapse is to be avoided. J.w.s.w. | Berlin, The Economist, "The variegated symbolism of gardens in art," 1 Aug. 2019 Jackson, who once loved babbling and singing and calling for the family dog, had stopped communicating, other than to hold his head in his tiny hands and cry, his mother said. al.com, "What is Rocky Mountain spotted fever? Ticks spread rare, deadly disease," 3 June 2019 Tiny bridges, babbling streams, weeping willows and koi fish are integrated into the hillside in the most storybook of ways. Ed Droste, Vogue, "Stargazing in Tokyo and Glamping Near Mt. Fuji: Ed Droste’s Epic Japan Travel Diary," 28 May 2019 Kingston then points an open hand to the TV and babbles some more as if to hypothesize on the next season. Amir Vera, CNN, "A father having a conversation with his babbling baby boy about the 'Empire' finale broke the internet," 7 June 2019 Toward the end of the conversation Kingston calms down, babbles some more and laughs. Amir Vera, CNN, "A father having a conversation with his babbling baby boy about the 'Empire' finale broke the internet," 7 June 2019 The press release also babbles on about Schrödinger’s cat, which is largely irrelevant. Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Following Schrödinger’s cat to its death and giving it a reprieve," 5 June 2019 Jackson, who once loved babbling and singing and calling for the family dog, had stopped communicating, other than to hold his head in his tiny hands and cry, his mother said. al.com, "What is Rocky Mountain spotted fever? Ticks spread rare, deadly disease," 3 June 2019 Much to my surprise, Hunter rolled around in the crib, babbling to himself, and fell back asleep for another 45 minutes. Lindsey Benoit O’connell, Good Housekeeping, "I Hired a Baby Sleep Coach, But It Turns Out I Was The One Who Needed Training," 3 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'babble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of babble

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

History and Etymology for babble

Middle English babelen, probably of imitative origin

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More Definitions for babble

babble

verb

English Language Learners Definition of babble

: to talk foolishly or too much
: to make speech sounds that do not make sense to the hearer
: to make the quiet sound of water flowing over rocks

babble

verb
bab·​ble | \ ˈba-bÉ™l How to pronounce babble (audio) \
babbled; babbling\ ˈba-​bÉ™-​liÅ‹ , ˈba-​bliÅ‹ \

Kids Definition of babble

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to make meaningless sounds The baby babbled in his crib.
2 : to talk foolishly
3 : to make the sound of a brook

babble

noun

Kids Definition of babble (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : talk that is not clear
2 : the sound of a brook

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More from Merriam-Webster on babble

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with babble

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for babble

Spanish Central: Translation of babble

Nglish: Translation of babble for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of babble for Arabic Speakers