chat·ter   (chāt'ər)    v.   chat·tered, chat·ter·ing, chat·ters v.   intr. To talk rapidly, incessantly, and on trivial subjects; jabber. To utter a rapid series of short, inarticulate, speechlike sounds: birds chattering in the trees. To click quickly and repeatedly: Our teeth chattered from the cold. To vibrate or rattle while in operation: A power drill will chatter if the bit is loose. v.   tr. To utter in a rapid, usually thoughtless way: chattered a long reply. n.   Idle, trivial talk. Communication, such as e-mail and cell phone calls, between people who are involved in terrorism or espionage, as monitored by a government agency. The sharp, rapid sounds made by some birds and animals. A series of quick rattling or clicking sounds. [Middle English chateren, of imitative origin.] chat'ter·er n.

Chatter

Chat"ter\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Chattered; p. pr. & vb. n. Chattering.] [Of imitative origin. Cf. Chat, v. i. Chitter.]

1. To utter sounds which somewhat resemble language, but are inarticulate and indistinct.

The jaw makes answer, as the magpie chatters. --Wordsworth.

2. To talk idly, carelessly, or with undue rapidity; to jabber; to prate.

To tame a shrew, and charm her chattering tongue. --Shak.

3. To make a noise by rapid collisions.

With chattering teeth, and bristling hair upright. --Dryden.

chatter