chattered; chattering; chatters
1
: to utter rapid short sounds suggestive of language but inarticulate and indistinct
squirrels chattered angrily
2
: to talk idly, incessantly, or fast
3
a
: to click repeatedly or uncontrollably
teeth chattering with cold
b
: to vibrate rapidly in cutting
a chattering tool
c
: to vibrate especially audibly as a consequence of repeated sticking and slipping
chattering brakes
: to utter rapidly, idly, or indistinctly
chatterer
noun
1
: the action or sound of chattering
2
: idle talk : prattle
3
: electronic and especially radio communication between individuals engaged in a common or related form of activity
also
: such chatter regarding future hostile activities
4
: a person who participates in online chat
Excite, Inc. … reports that users log a total of 7.5 to 8 million chat minutes on an average day. Half of online chatters are aged 18 to 34, and 15 percent are under age 17.—
Rebecca Piirto Heath
Rebecca Piirto HeathSynonyms
Examples of chatter in a Sentence
Verb
Children chattered in the middle of the playground.
My teeth were chattering from the cold.
Birds chattered in the trees.
Noun
heard the chatter of squirrels
pleasant chatter over morning coffee
Recent Examples on the WebThéoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Apr. 2024
Reddit’s share price in the low $50 range is still well above its IPO price of $34, and even above its impressive first-day closing price of $48, which had investors chattering about the company’s impressive gains.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
McCarthy continued to chatter away, asking Eilish about her and her brother Finneas' collaborative songwriting process.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
Under an avalanche of publicity, students of art, design and social history crowded into the galleries with the limousine society crowd, busloads of tourists and classes of chattering children.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Baboons will sometimes chatter at the moon, or at the sun at dawn.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
Now Ford’s binoculars came to rest on Tobin Rote, Bobby Layne’s backup, who was firing warm-up passes, grinning, chattering with coaches.
—Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Song-tae Kim and 17 of his friends from church chattered boisterously, some fueled by soju, with the remnants of their dinner — black bean noodles and spicy seafood noodle soup — spread out in front of them.
—Ashley Ahn, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024
The camera often focuses on her face as the adults chatter around her; this is the way of children, sometimes absorbing and struggling with the stuff grownups are saying and other times just ignoring it, taking the world in at their own pace.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Jan. 2024
Sam Reed, Glamour, 29 Apr. 2024
Ocado Group Plc grew faster than Britain’s major supermarkets as the technology and retail company tries to reverse losses that have fueled chatter around a potential stock listing move.
—Jennifer Creery, Fortune Europe, 23 Apr. 2024
Paramount, controlled by chair Shari Redstone via holding company National Amusements, has been the topic of deal chatter in recent months.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
Some of the latest chatter reveals a lament about the difficulty of meeting someone.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024
There’s been growing chatter about it, particularly as the US continues producing record amounts of oil and gas
For comparison, the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2021 includes $369 billion for clean energy incentives — the nation’s largest climate investment to date.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Invite the couple as always; be civil, of course; and take part fully in the group’s standard small talk and chatter and conversation.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Pictures published on the A Fly Guy's Cabin Crew Lounge Facebook account caused quite a bit of chatter and was shared more than 140 times.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
As Rozell recalls, the 1980s were an era of watercooler chatter when the physical aspects of the office mattered a lot—and art was an important part of that.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
Who chatters excitedly about his latest obsession — the sport of triathlon — and the challenge of 70.3-mile races.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Apr. 2024
Reddit’s share price in the low $50 range is still well above its IPO price of $34, and even above its impressive first-day closing price of $48, which had investors chattering about the company’s impressive gains.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
McCarthy continued to chatter away, asking Eilish about her and her brother Finneas' collaborative songwriting process.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
Under an avalanche of publicity, students of art, design and social history crowded into the galleries with the limousine society crowd, busloads of tourists and classes of chattering children.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Baboons will sometimes chatter at the moon, or at the sun at dawn.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
Now Ford’s binoculars came to rest on Tobin Rote, Bobby Layne’s backup, who was firing warm-up passes, grinning, chattering with coaches.
—Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Song-tae Kim and 17 of his friends from church chattered boisterously, some fueled by soju, with the remnants of their dinner — black bean noodles and spicy seafood noodle soup — spread out in front of them.
—Ashley Ahn, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024
The camera often focuses on her face as the adults chatter around her; this is the way of children, sometimes absorbing and struggling with the stuff grownups are saying and other times just ignoring it, taking the world in at their own pace.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Jan. 2024
Noun
However, after some tabloid chatter about Alwyn’s reaction to the album began bubbling up over the weekend, a new report seems to be trying to put any speculation about ill will or discomfort to rest.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 29 Apr. 2024
Ocado Group Plc grew faster than Britain’s major supermarkets as the technology and retail company tries to reverse losses that have fueled chatter around a potential stock listing move.
—Jennifer Creery, Fortune Europe, 23 Apr. 2024
Paramount, controlled by chair Shari Redstone via holding company National Amusements, has been the topic of deal chatter in recent months.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
Some of the latest chatter reveals a lament about the difficulty of meeting someone.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024
There’s been growing chatter about it, particularly as the US continues producing record amounts of oil and gas
For comparison, the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2021 includes $369 billion for clean energy incentives — the nation’s largest climate investment to date.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 11 Apr. 2024
Invite the couple as always; be civil, of course; and take part fully in the group’s standard small talk and chatter and conversation.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Pictures published on the A Fly Guy's Cabin Crew Lounge Facebook account caused quite a bit of chatter and was shared more than 140 times.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
As Rozell recalls, the 1980s were an era of watercooler chatter when the physical aspects of the office mattered a lot—and art was an important part of that.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chatter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Chatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chatter. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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