# chatter

/ˈtʃætɝ/ (US) · /tʃˈætɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/chatter
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. informal talk

noun · CEFR B2

fast, informal conversation about things that are not very important.

For teachers: rapid, informal, and often trivial conversation. Usually uncountable in this sense.

- The constant chatter of the students made it hard for the teacher to start the lesson.
- The background chatter in the lobby was a mix of business negotiations and casual greetings, creating a lively but distracting atmosphere.

### 2. animal sounds

noun · CEFR B2

the quick, high sounds made by birds or monkeys.

For teachers: the characteristic rapid vocalisations of certain birds or animals, such as magpies or squirrels.

- We woke up to the loud chatter of birds in the trees outside our window.
- The sudden chatter of a squirrel alerted the hikers to a predator lurking in the undergrowth nearby.

### 3. internet user

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a person who uses a chat room or watches a livestream and types messages.

For teachers: a participant in an online chat room or a viewer who contributes to a livestream's real-time text feed.

- The streamer thanked a chatter for donating five dollars during the game.
- The moderator had to ban a disruptive chatter who was repeatedly violating the community guidelines during the broadcast.

### 4. security signals

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the amount of communication between groups that police or governments watch.

For teachers: the volume of intercepted communications between suspect groups, monitored to assess the likelihood of coordinated activity.

- Intelligence agencies reported an increase in radio chatter before the event.
- Analysts noted a significant spike in encrypted chatter across several monitored channels, suggesting a high state of operational readiness among the insurgent cells.

### 6. teeth clicking

verb · CEFR B2

when your teeth click together repeatedly because you are very cold or scared.

For teachers: to click together repeatedly and rapidly, usually as an involuntary physical response to cold or fear.

- His teeth began to chatter as soon as he stepped out into the snow.
- The survivors sat huddled together, their teeth chattering uncontrollably as the temperature in the cabin dropped below freezing.

## Examples

- The children's chatter filled the room.
- I tried to read, but the office chatter was too loud.
- The morning air was alive with the cheerful chatter of sparrows in the oak tree.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.