gabble

[ gab-uhl ]
See synonyms for gabble on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),gab·bled, gab·bling.
  1. to speak or converse rapidly and unintelligibly; jabber.

  2. (of hens, geese, etc.) to cackle.

verb (used with object),gab·bled, gab·bling.
  1. to utter rapidly and unintelligibly.

noun
  1. rapid, unintelligible talk.

  2. any quick succession of meaningless sounds.

Origin of gabble

1
First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps from Middle Dutch gabbelen, or an expressive formation in English; cf. gab1, gob4, -le

Other words from gabble

  • gabbler, noun
  • outgabble, verb (used with object), out·gab·bled, out·gab·bling.

Words Nearby gabble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gabble in a sentence

  • “Doing more with less” is often management-gabble to justify arbitrary budget cuts.

  • The excitement and gabble were worse than the Dean case, or Federation, and sickened me, for they were all on the wrong track.

    Over the Sliprails | Henry Lawson
  • But no flight of arrows rattled among the boughs, and all we heard was the gabble of excited voices.

    Mass' George | George Manville Fenn
  • The lovely gabble of the cranes and the wild swans comes back to me whenever I think of the place.

  • "You must be drunk yourself to come here waking me up in the middle of the night, to hear this idle gabble," said Louis angrily.

    File No. 113 | Emile Gaboriau

British Dictionary definitions for gabble

gabble

/ (ˈɡæbəl) /


verb
  1. to utter (words, etc) rapidly and indistinctly; jabber

  2. (intr) (of geese and some other birds or animals) to utter rapid cackling noises

noun
  1. rapid and indistinct speech or noises

Origin of gabble

1
C17: from Middle Dutch gabbelen, of imitative origin

Derived forms of gabble

  • gabbler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012