babble Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby
lallation; babbling.
verb utter meaningless sounds, like a baby, or utter in an incoherent way
- The old man is only babbling--don't pay attention
verb to talk foolishly
blather; smatter; blether; blither.
- The two women babbled and crooned at the baby
verb flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise
burble; guggle; ripple; bubble; gurgle.
- babbling brooks
verb divulge confidential information or secrets
let the cat out of the bag; peach; spill the beans; babble out; tattle; blab out; sing; blab; talk.
- Be careful--his secretary talks

Cf.LG. babbeln, D. babbelen, G. bappeln, bappern, F. babiller, It. babbolare; prob. orig., to keep saying ba, imitative of a child learning to talk.

imperfect & past participle Babbled ();present participle & verbal noun Babbling

To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds; as a child babbles.
To talk incoherently; to utter unmeaning words.
To talk much; to chatter; to prate.
To make a continuous murmuring noise, as shallow water running over stones.
In every babbling he finds a friend. Wordsworth.
✍ Hounds are said to babble, or to be babbling, when they are too noisy after having found a good scent. Syn. -- To prate; prattle; chatter; gossip.

To utter in an indistinct or incoherent way; to repeat,as words, in a childish way without understanding.
These [words] he used to babble in all companies. Arbuthnot.
To disclose by too free talk, as a secret.

Idle talk; senseless prattle; gabble; twaddle. "This is mere moral babble." Milton.
Inarticulate speech; constant or confused murmur.
The babble of our young children. Darwin.

The babble of the stream. Tennyson.