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# babble

verb (babble, babbles, babbled, babbling); noun (babble)

«babble» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To talk quickly in a way that is hard to understand or silly: «She babbled about her holiday.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#m1)
2. (of a baby) To make speech-like sounds before real words: «ba-ba-ba». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#m2)
3. (of water) To make a soft, bubbling sound: «a babbling brook». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#m3)
4. (noun) A noise of many voices at once, or silly talk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#m4)

### In the lessons

In science lessons on growing up, babbling is a stage when babies practise sounds before talking. In stories and poems a «babbling brook» is a gentle stream. In the Bible the Tower of Babel story is often linked (by sound) to «babble». Phrases: «babble on», «a babble of voices», «babbling brook».

### Examples

- The baby babbled happily in her cot. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#x1)
- Stop babbling and tell me what happened! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#x2)
- We sat by a babbling brook. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#x3)
- A babble of voices filled the canteen. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#x4)
- He babbled on about his new game for ages. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#x5)
- Babies babble before they say their first word. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#x6)
- Then broke forth a rippling, laughing babble among the cone-shaped teepees. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/#x7)

### Note

Double b in the middle, one l: babble, babbled, babbling. Do not confuse with «bubble». Babbling is not rude for babies, but saying someone «babbles» can sound unkind.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «babble» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/babble/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«babble» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/babble.html) on Mova free.