English Reference

Word

babbling

Phoneticsbab·bling

US/ˈbæbəɫɪŋ/

UK/bˈæblɪŋ/

Definition

n. the sound of many people talking at the same time in a way that is hard to understand. It can also describe a stream of water that flows quickly and makes a lot of noise.

n. the sound of many voices speaking simultaneously in a confused or unintelligible manner; also refers to the rapid, noisy flow of a stream or river.

Examples

“The babbling of the children filled the park.”

“The babbling of the stream provided a soothing background as we sat by the bank.”

“The courtroom fell into a state of babbling as the judge's gavel struck the desk, silencing the sudden outburst of voices from the gallery.”

Examples

simple

“The babbling of the children filled the park.”

contextual

“The babbling of the stream provided a soothing background as we sat by the bank.”

complex

“The courtroom fell into a state of babbling as the judge's gavel struck the desk, silencing the sudden outburst of voices from the gallery.”

Etymology

From Middle English bablyng, babelynge, equivalent to babble + -ing.

From Middle English bablyng, babelynge, babelinde, equivalent to babble + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

babbleNounbabblingNoun

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

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