as in babble
unintelligible or meaningless talk
parents often claim to understand the prattle of their infant offspring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to chat
to engage in casual or rambling conversation
spent an hour on the phone prattling on about nothing in particular
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to chatter
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
stop prattling and calmly tell us the news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prattle
Joshua Cohen, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
The larcenous prattle is, in this sense, a typically Wiig-ian set piece: sunny, strained and flailing for dignity.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025
Of course, some are just weird, like the Grampy Turnips, little old vegetable men planted in the soil who prattle on with unsolicited advice that’s occasionally useful and mostly waffle about.
—Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prattle
Noun
She was getting winded on our walk, and her prattle was broken up by heavy breaths.
—Joshua Cohen, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
The larcenous prattle is, in this sense, a typically Wiig-ian set piece: sunny, strained and flailing for dignity.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
One half of a pair of young twins prattles on incessantly about some sci-fi arcana while the boy’s bored-looking mother and his quieter brother tune him out.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025
Of course, some are just weird, like the Grampy Turnips, little old vegetable men planted in the soil who prattle on with unsolicited advice that’s occasionally useful and mostly waffle about.
—Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for prattle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prattle
Noun
-
The film almost completely drops any and all scientific babble from the book in favor of character development, action sequences, and emotional gut punches.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Read a book and sip tea in front of the central fireplace, swim between the indoor and outdoor sections of the glimmering pool, and soak your aching quads in the hot tubs under the evergreens and aspens while listening to the peaceful babble of Gore Creek.—
Sarah Kuta,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If a team chat gets heated, pause to name your goal and request a clear next step.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
-
Okay, but who showed Danielle the group chat?—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The fights were slightly delayed because of inclement weather, and so we were treated, first, to a quartet of chattering analysts wearing natty, snug suits.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Vuvuzelas honked like a chorus of drunk geese, and spectators chattered excitedly.—
Ryan Lenora Brown,
NPR,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Not only is that nonsense, but Israel took this into account.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
17 June 2026
-
Get outta here with that nonsense.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
There were cartoons while dressing children, evening news while cooking dinner, and, before bed, families watched mutely as onscreen families laughed and talked.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Sehic said there were many people at the restaurant at the time, and said Campbell was talking to someone else at the bar when he was approached by Harakh.—
Neal Riley,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Perennially delighted and deeply uncool, Tascioni gabbles about the wonders of the city while her interlocutors roll their eyes at her lack of sophistication and taste.—
Lili Loofbourow,
Washington Post,
29 Feb. 2024
Noun
-
Some children clustered there to jabber and run madly about, while others just wanted attention and knew how to get it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
-
And given that these are not professional actors, or even (in most cases) people who aspire to be, LaBeouf’s words to them, full of deadly serious jabber about empathy and ego, are pumped up with an intensity that feels overdone and inappropriate.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
The chatbot, capable of conversing in natural language, captivated global audiences and has since developed advanced coding, voice interaction and image generation capabilities.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
In the trailer, Cusack is seen conversing with Woody about what's to come.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Cite this Entry
“Prattle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prattle. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
