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REFERENCE

bubble

n. · v.
US //ˈbəbəɫ// UK //bˈʌbəl// bub·ble
  1. 1 air in liquid (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a small ball of air or gas inside a liquid or a solid material like glass.

    a spherical volume of gas contained within a liquid or a solid; often formed by surface tension in soapy water.

    Example

    The children were blowing soap bubbles in the garden all afternoon.

    Example

    The artisan glassblower carefully manipulated the molten material to ensure no tiny air bubbles remained trapped within the finished vase.
  2. 2 social isolation (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a situation where you only talk to people who have the same ideas as you, or a safe group you stay with during a sickness.

    a state of social or intellectual isolation where an individual is protected from outside influences or differing viewpoints.

    Example

    Living in a university bubble can make you forget what the real world is like.

    Example

    Social media algorithms often trap users in an ideological bubble, reinforcing existing biases by filtering out any dissenting perspectives.
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  1. 3 economics (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Economics

    a time when prices for things like houses or stocks go up too fast and then suddenly crash.

    a period of intense market speculation where asset prices rise to levels significantly above their intrinsic value before a rapid collapse.

    Example

    Many people lost their savings when the housing bubble finally burst.

    Example

    Economists warned that the tech bubble was unsustainable, yet investors continued to pour capital into companies with no clear path to profitability.
  2. 4 sports/competitions (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Sport

    the point in a tournament where you are almost, but not quite, qualified for the next round or a prize.

    the threshold in a competition or tournament where participants are either included in the prize-winning group or eliminated.

    Example

    He was on the bubble for the final team selection, but he didn't make the cut.

    Example

    As the poker tournament reached the bubble, the remaining players became noticeably more cautious, desperate to survive until the prize money was guaranteed.
  3. 5 to make bubbles (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to produce bubbles, like water when it starts to boil.

    to form or produce bubbles; to rise to the surface in the form of gas-filled spheres.

    Example

    The soup was bubbling away on the stove, smelling delicious.

    Example

    The chemical solution began to bubble and hiss as soon as the catalyst was introduced to the beaker.
  4. 6 to feel an emotion (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to feel a strong emotion that is starting to show.

    to manifest a feeling or quality that is becoming difficult to suppress.

    Example

    Anger was bubbling inside him as he listened to the lies.

    Example

    A sense of quiet excitement bubbled through the crowd as the lights dimmed and the performance was about to begin.
Origin

Partly imitative, also influenced by burble. Compare Middle Dutch bobbe (“bubble”) > Dutch bubbel (“bubble”), Low German bubbel (“bubble”), Danish boble (“bubble”), Swedish bubbla (“bubble”). The word was first used in its economic sense in association with the collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720, based on the metaphor of an inflated soap bubble bursting.

Word family
Idioms4 entries

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