jabber

1 of 2

verb

jab·ber ˈja-bər

jabbered; jabbering ˈja-b(ə-)riŋ

Synonyms of jabber

intransitive verb

: to talk rapidly, indistinctly, or unintelligibly

transitive verb

: to speak rapidly or indistinctly

jabberer

ˈja-bər-ər

noun

jabber

2 of 2

Examples of jabber in a Sentence

Verb They jabbered away for hours. She rushed into the room jabbering something about a dog. Noun to me the baby's speech was simply jabber, but his mother claimed to know exactly what he was saying

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

Meanwhile, Trump cannot stop jabbering about serving a potential third term, a blatant violation of the Constitution’s cap on terms Presidents can serve these days. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025

In our few minutes, Smoltz indulged a couple of jabbering old sports writers. —Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 17 Dec. 2024 Asking Eric: These women jabber about the trip I wasn’t invited on. —R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024 Flying on cocaine, he’s become a jabbering head case who proceeds to kill himself by bashing his face with a circular 35-pound workout weight. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024 Hello Kitty blanket while Gazal jabbered to a wild-haired imitation Barbie doll dressed as a bride. —Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024 Sometimes, being a conservative means jabbering about your philosophical views, however rickety, over a plate of overcooked chicken. —Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 14 July 2023 An investigation revealed that jabbering shore operators had hampered communications with the rescue ship. —Ariel Bleicher, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2013 That was more than enough fodder to get soccer fans in the two cities jabbering back and forth − a good start toward achieving rivalry status considering the two organizations had never met on a field. —The Enquirer, 24 Mar. 2023

Noun

Worse, such jabber crowds out essential coverage of genuine threats to democracy and the visions of the two parties. —Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 16 July 2024 Jacobs-Jenkins renders him as a wry, friendly figure who occasionally takes over the bodies of the other characters to explain what is happening beneath their jabber. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 5 June 2023 Incriminating truths are borne along in the ever-rolling stream of online jabber; how can one man’s toxic underpants, nearly two years old, stand a chance against the slapping of Chris Rock at the Oscars, still less against the waves of disinformation? —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2022 That includes many of his new Florida State teammates who have discovered the defensive end’s propensity for jabber. —Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2022 Ohio State strength coach Mickey Marotti is getting in on the jibber jabber with some Michigan staffers in this clip. —Nathan Baird, cleveland, 27 Nov. 2021 To paint like that required a meditative focus that was miles from my own internal jabber. —Molly Crabapple, The New York Review of Books, 8 July 2021 An older Black man perpetually annoyed by Sterling and Blair's jabber — particularly about the ups and downs of their romances — Bowser only takes on the underage twins as his protégés because the premise of the show demands it. —Inkoo Kang, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2020 But that’s just verbal jabber mixed with persuasion and cheerleading. —Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English jaberen, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1708, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of jabber was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

Jabarite

jabber

jabbernowl

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Jabber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jabber. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

jabber

1 of 2 verb

jab·ber ˈjab-ər

jabbered; jabbering -(ə-)riŋ

: to speak too fast or not clearly enough to be understood

jabberer

ˈjab-ər-ər

noun

jabber

2 of 2 noun

: gibberish, chatter

Last Updated: 23 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences

jabber

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of jabber in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on jabber

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

garble

Popular in Grammar & Usage

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Popular Features

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Games & Quizzes

jabber

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of jabber in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for jabber

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Share

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on jabber

More from Merriam-Webster

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

garble

Popular in Grammar & Usage

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Popular Features

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Games & Quizzes