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gibberish

noun gib·ber·ish \ ˈji-b(ə-)rish , ˈgi- \

Definition of gibberish

:unintelligible or meaningless language:
a :a technical or esoteric (see esoteric 1) language
  • The doctors spoke to one another in their medical gibberish that I was unable to follow.
b :pretentious or needlessly obscure language
  • The substance of the philosopher'swork is buried in polysyllabic gibberish.

See gibberish defined for English-language learners

See gibberish defined for kids

From the M-W Editors

gibberish
Gibberish: Trended on May 24, 2012
tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese
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Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'
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The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

Examples of gibberish in a Sentence

  1. She was talking gibberish in her sleep.

  2. was so excited he could only talk gibberish

Recent Examples of gibberish from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of gibberish

probably from gibber

gibberish Synonyms

Synonyms
abracadabra, babble, blabber, burble, double Dutch, double-talk, drivel, gabble, gibber, jabber, jabberwocky, mumbo jumbo, nonsense, prattle, slobber
Related Words
blah (also blah-blah), hocus-pocus, hokeypokey, twaddle; chatter, gab, patter, prate, tattle, twitter; cackle, clack, clatter

GIBBERISH Defined for English Language Learners

gibberish

noun

Definition of gibberish for English Language Learners

  • : foolish, confused, or meaningless words

GIBBERISH Defined for Kids

gibberish

noun gib·ber·ish \ ˈji-bə-rish \

Definition of gibberish for Students

:confused meaningless talk

Learn More about gibberish

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gibberish Spanish Central: Translation of gibberish Nglish: Translation of gibberish for Spanish speakers

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Words at Play

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The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

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Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

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The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

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The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Noah Webster first entered the term in 1840

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Examples: gibberish in a Sentence