chatter

American  

[chat-er] / ˈtʃæt ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to talk rapidly in a foolish or purposeless way; jabber.

2. to utter a succession of quick, inarticulate, speechlike sounds, as monkeys or certain birds.

   Synonyms:

   click, clatter

3. to make a rapid clicking noise by striking together.

   His teeth were chattering from the cold.

4. Machinery. (of a cutting tool or piece of metal) to vibrate during cutting so as to produce surface flaws on the work.

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verb (used with object)

1. to utter rapidly or purposelessly.

2. to cause to chatter, as the teeth from cold.

noun

1. purposeless or foolish talk.

2. a series of waves or ridges on the surface of a piece of metal that has been imperfectly drawn or extruded.

3. the act or sound of chattering.

4. online, phone, radio, or other electronic communication among people, often involving a harmful political activity such as espionage or terrorism.

   Officials were able to intercept and identify a high level of terrorist chatter in the weeks before the bombing attempt.

chatter British  

/ ˈtʃætə /

verb

1. to speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly; prattle

2. (intr) (of birds, monkeys, etc) to make rapid repetitive high-pitched noises resembling human speech

3. (intr) (of the teeth) to click together rapidly through cold or fear

4. (intr) to make rapid intermittent contact with a component, as in machining, causing irregular cutting

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noun

1. idle or foolish talk; gossip

2. the high-pitched repetitive noise made by a bird, monkey, etc

3. the rattling of objects, such as parts of a machine

4. Also called: chatter mark.  the undulating pattern of marks in a machined surface from the vibration of the tool or workpiece

Other Word Forms

• chatteringly adverb
• chattery adjective
• outchatter verb (used with object)
• unchattering adjective

Etymology

Origin of chatter

1200–50; Middle English chateren; imitative

Example Sentences

"There is a lot of pressure on the dogs to behave in those environments", she said, which involves a host of distractions - including food, children, chatter and other furry friends.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

At the other end, three nuns from Chicago quietly chatter, favoring passers-by with beneficent smiles.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

“They have ranches; they have mines. The talk, the chatter is always what’s happening to the commodity prices.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Listener chatter from Mason Cash in Oviedo, Florida: a Major Questions Doctrine song in the style of Gilbert & Sullivan!

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026

I could hear the children arrive for what must have been a party and hear their laughter and chatter.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Related Words

• babble
• blather
• chat
• chitchat
• gossip