babble

verb

bab·​ble ˈba-bəl How to pronounce babble (audio)
babbled; babbling ˈba-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce babble (audio)

intransitive verb

1
a
: 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
babble noun
babblement noun
babbler 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.
Recent Examples on the Web The creekside location also adds a bit of character to the overall experience, and there’s nothing more relaxing than listening to the sounds of a babbling creek while sipping a local beer. Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 19 July 2024 So there’s a lot of incidental noise on the record of babbling babies and dogs shaking their collar and things like that. Liam Hess, Vogue, 12 July 2024 Look east from the cemetery, to an adjacent field where cattle graze, birds sing and a brook babbles: This will become a 116-acre data center housing 2.2 million square feet of massive structures with concrete walls up to 70 feet high. Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 10 July 2024 Agnes/Agatha in WandaVision (2021) Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) rarely ever saw a day without her overbearing, babbling neighbor Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) butting into the mix. EW.com, 5 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for babble 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'babble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English babelen, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of babble was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near babble

Cite this Entry

“Babble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/babble. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

babble

1 of 2 verb
bab·​ble
ˈbab-əl
babbled; babbling
ˈbab-(ə-)liŋ
1
a
: to make meaningless sounds
b
: to talk foolishly or too much
2
: to make the sound of a brook
babbler
ˈbab-(ə-)lər
noun

babble

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

More from Merriam-Webster on babble

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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