babble

verb

bab·​ble ˈba-bəl 

babbled; babbling ˈba-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: to talk enthusiastically or excessively

b

: to utter meaningless or unintelligible sounds

2

: to make sounds as though babbling

transitive verb

1

: to utter in an incoherently or meaninglessly repetitious manner

2

: to reveal by talk that is too free

babble noun

babblement

ˈba-bəl-mənt 

noun

babbler

ˈba-b(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms of babble

• chatter
• chat
• prattle
• drool
• gibber
• gabble
• shout
• jabber
• sputter
• rattle
• drivel

Examples of babble in a Sentence

Pay no attention to her. She's just babbling.

He'll babble on about sports all night if you let him.

Her cousins were babbling in an unfamiliar dialect.

Recent Examples on the Web

The key to the program is the devices inside the vests, which recognize the pitch of a child speaking or a baby babbling and the pitch of an adult and capture when an adult speaks and a child or baby responds or vice versa. —Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026

My gurgling was so close to babbling that nobody suspected a thing. —Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026

It’s spread out over a clutch of open-air bamboo pavilions which overlook the Ayung River (the sound of babbling water adds an extra layer of Zen to the treatments). —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026

But Bhatta was hypothermic and occasionally babbled gibberish. —Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English babelen, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Rhymes for babble

• babel
• dabble
• drabble
• gabble
• nabal
• rabble
• scrabble
• immeasurable

Video

A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia

Some imitative words are more surprising than others

Kids Definition

babble

1 of 2 verb

bab·​ble

ˈbab-əl

babbled; babbling

ˈbab-(ə-)liŋ

1

a

: to make meaningless sounds

b

: to talk foolishly or too much

2

: to make the sound of a brook

babbler

ˈbab-(ə-)lər

noun

babble

2 of 2 noun

1

: talk that is not clear

2

: the sound of a brook