babble

UK: /ˈbæb^əl/ US: /ˈbæbəl/ ,(bab′əl)

Inflections of 'babble' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

babbles

v 3rd person singular

babbling

v pres p

babbled

v past

babbled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bab•ble /ˈbæbəl/   v., -bled, -bling, n. 
v. 

1. to make meaningless sounds: [no obj]:
   babbles in her sleep.
   [ ~ + obj]:
   The guest babbled her apologies.
2. to talk too much or foolishly;
   chatter: [no obj]:
   The two friends babbled on for hours.
   [ ~ + obj]:
   The spy babbled state secrets.
   [ ~ + (that) clause]:
   He babbled that the enemy was invading.
3. [no obj] to make a continuous murmuring sound:
   a babbling brook.

n. [uncountable]

4. poorly pronounced words;
   imperfect speech:
   the babble of little babies.
5. foolish, meaningless, or too much talk;
   chatter:
   the babble in the room before the class began.
6. a murmuring sound or sounds.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bab•ble  (bab′əl), v., -bled, -bling, n. 
v.i. 

1. to utter sounds or words imperfectly, indistinctly, or without meaning.
2. to talk idly, irrationally, excessively, or foolishly;
   chatter or prattle.
3. to make a continuous, murmuring sound.

v.t. 

4. to utter in an incoherent, foolish, or meaningless fashion.
5. to reveal foolishly or thoughtlessly:
   to babble a secret.

n. 

6. inarticulate or imperfect speech.
7. foolish, meaningless, or incoherent speech;
   prattle.
8. a murmuring sound or a confusion of sounds.
9. Linguistics babbling (def. 2).
10. Telecommunications a confused mixture of extraneous sounds in a circuit, resulting from cross talk from other channels. Cf. cross talk (def. 1).

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

Synonyms

• 2. chitchat, gabble, drivel, blather.
• 3. murmur, gurgle, burble.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

babble / ˈbæb^əl/ verb

1. to utter (words, sounds, etc) in an incoherent or indistinct jumble
2. (intransitive) to talk foolishly, incessantly, or irrelevantly
3. (transitive) to disclose (secrets, confidences, etc) carelessly or impulsively
4. (intransitive) (of streams, birds, etc) to make a low murmuring or bubbling sound

noun

1. incoherent or foolish speech; chatter
2. a murmuring or bubbling sound

Etymology: 13th Century: compare Dutch babbelen, Swedish babbla, French babiller to prattle, Latin babulus fool; probably all of imitative origin