garble

[gahr-buhl]

verb (used with object)

garbled, garbling 

1. to confuse unintentionally or ignorantly; jumble.

   to garble instructions.

2. to make unfair or misleading selections from or arrangement of (fact, statements, writings, etc.); distort.

   to garble a quotation.

3. Archaic.,  to take out the best of.

noun

1. the act or process of garbling.

2. an instance of garbling; a garbled phrase, literary passage, etc.

garble

/ ˈɡɑːbəl /

verb

1. to jumble (a story, quotation, etc), esp unintentionally

2. to distort the meaning of (an account, text, etc), as by making misleading omissions; corrupt

3. rare,  to select the best part of

noun

1. 1. the act of garbling

   2. garbled matter

Other Word Forms

• garbleable adjective
• garbler noun
• ungarbled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of garble¹

1400–50; late Middle English garbelen to remove refuse from spices < Old Italian garbellare to sift < Arabic gharbala < Late Latin crībellāre, derivative of crībellum, diminutive of Latin crībrum sieve ( -elle ); probably influenced by garboil

Word History and Origins

Origin of garble¹

C15: from Old Italian garbellare to strain, sift, from Arabic gharbala, from ghirbāl sieve, from Late Latin crībellum small sieve, from crībrum sieve

Example Sentences

A voice began speaking in terribly garbled Russian.

Read more on Literature

Air traffic control communications reviewed by BBC Verify are largely garbled and full of interference so no meaningful conversation can be heard about the crash as it unfolded.

Read more on BBC

Subtitles wouldn’t be the worst idea, though a sibling garble is part of their brand.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mortified, she enters the studio in a garbled flurry of apologies.

Read more on BBC

He didn’t immediately respond and when he did speak his words were garbled.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• misinterpret