baby talk

noun

1
a
: the consciously imperfect or altered speech used by adults in speaking to small children
b
: the syntactically imperfect speech or phonetically modified forms used by small children learning to talk
2
: oversimplified speech or writing

Examples of baby talk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His mother, Veronica Farrish, refused to let family members use baby talk with him. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023 Her language is a mixture of Vietnamese and baby talk and maybe something of her own thrown in. Viet Thanh Nguyen, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2023 At 13 weeks, babies can start to imitate sounds, babble in baby talk, and are beginning to use their hands more. Parents Editors, Parents, 8 Sep. 2023 With more research, scientists could add support for this finding and determine the extent of dolphins’ baby talk. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 June 2023 The dogs bark incessantly, and their owners respond with baby talk. Roxane Gay, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2023 In Torvald’s presence, Nora remains a recognizable type, the strategically chirpy songbird pursing her lips and cooing in baby talk. Jesse Green, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2023 Forget baby talk--give me kitten talk any day!Mother-offspring recognition in the domestic cat: Kittens recognize their own mother's call. Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 1 Nov. 2016 The conversation between Kim and North wasn't the only baby talk on Thursday's episode of The Kardashians. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2022 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of baby talk was in 1788

Dictionary Entries Near baby talk

Cite this Entry

“Baby talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baby%20talk. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

baby talk

noun
1
: the speech used by very young children learning to talk
2
: speech like baby talk sometimes used by adults to speak to very young children

Medical Definition

baby talk

noun
1
: the syntactically imperfect speech or phonetically modified forms used by small children learning to talk
2
: the consciously imperfect or altered speech often used by adults in speaking to small children
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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