[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/blubber/)

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# blubber

noun (blubber, uncountable); verb (blubber, blubbers, blubbered, blubbering — informal)

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

## Everyday

1. Blubber is the thick layer of fat under the skin of whales, seals and penguins that keeps them warm in cold water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#m1)
2. (informal) To blubber is to cry noisily, often with tears and sobs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#m2)
3. (informal, rude) Blubber is sometimes used unkindly about fat on a person. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons blubber is an adaptation for the cold: it insulates animals like the blue whale and walrus and stores energy. A classic experiment: put your hand in a glove of lard («blubber glove») and dip it in ice water. In history, whale blubber was boiled to make oil for lamps. Phrases: a layer of blubber, blubber glove.

### Examples

- Seals have thick blubber to keep warm in icy seas. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#x1)
- A whale's blubber can be 30 centimetres thick. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#x2)
- Our blubber glove experiment showed that fat keeps out the cold. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#x3)
- Long ago, whalers boiled blubber to make lamp oil. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#x4)
- Polar bears eat seal blubber for energy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#x5)
- (informal) Stop blubbering — it's only a scratch! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#x6)
- The little boy blubbered when he lost his teddy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#x7)
- He had no time to change his mind, for Kotick’s head was out and his teeth sunk in the blubber of the young seal’s neck. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/blubber/#x8)

### Note

Uncountable as a noun: «a lot of blubber». Calling a person «blubber» is cruel name-calling — do not do it. Blubber is fat, not muscle.

## On Mova

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