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Showing results for babble. Search instead for babble+out.
Synonyms

babble

American  
[bab-uhl] / ˈbæb əl /

verb (used without object)

babbled, babbling

  1. to utter sounds or words imperfectly, indistinctly, or without meaning.

  2. to talk idly, irrationally, excessively, or foolishly; chatter or prattle.

    Synonyms:
    blather, drivel, gabble, chitchat

  3. to make a continuous, murmuring sound.

    Synonyms:
    burble, gurgle, murmur

verb (used with object)

babbled, babbling

  1. to utter in an incoherent, foolish, or meaningless fashion.

  2. to reveal foolishly or thoughtlessly.

    to babble a secret.

noun

  1. inarticulate or imperfect speech.

  2. foolish, meaningless, or incoherent speech; prattle.

  3. a murmuring sound or a confusion of sounds.

  4. babbling.

  5. Telecommunications. a confused mixture of extraneous sounds in a circuit, resulting from cross talk from other channels.

babble British  
/ ˈbæbəl /

verb

  1. to utter (words, sounds, etc) in an incoherent or indistinct jumble

  2. (intr) to talk foolishly, incessantly, or irrelevantly

  3. (tr) to disclose (secrets, confidences, etc) carelessly or impulsively

  4. (intr) (of streams, birds, etc) to make a low murmuring or bubbling sound

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. incoherent or foolish speech; chatter

  2. a murmuring or bubbling sound

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • babblement noun
  • babbling noun
  • outbabble verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of babble

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English babelen; cognate with Old Norse babbla, Dutch babbelen, German pappelen

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Behind me, a child began to giggle—then babble, then laugh again.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

The mogul ended up apologizing for that babble, calling it the “dumbest post I’ve ever done.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026

Above us swallows dart through the air, Graeme takes a picture of a damsel fly and the brook to our side continues to babble.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2024

It frustrates smart readers because invariably the answer is "yes" yet the rationale is typically incoherent babble.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2024

A babble of outraged accusations filled the lab.

From "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.