chatter — to talk quickly and continuously about unimportant or trivial things
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to talk quickly and continuously about unimportant or trivial things
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈtʃætər/
Example Sentences
- My grandma's teeth chattered so loudly in the cold that I thought she was playing castanets.
- The parrot chattered nonsense all day, but somehow it sounded smarter than my roommate.
- Please stop chattering and focus on the exam.
chatter
VERB[/ˈtʃætər/]
to talk quickly and continuously about unimportant or trivial things
The kids won't stop their chatter about the new puppy at the dinner table.
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Chatter derives from Middle English 'chateren', an onomatopoetic word imitating the rapid chirping sounds of birds and the quick, babbling speech of humans. The word originated as a direct imitation of natural sounds and gradually expanded in meaning from the literal sounds themselves to describe human chatter and gossip.
Breakdown
chat- (imitative root representing rapid, chirping sounds) + -er (agent suffix indicating repetitive action or one who produces the sound repeatedly).
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My grandma's teeth chattered so loudly in the cold that I thought she was playing castanets.”
“The parrot chattered nonsense all day, but somehow it sounded smarter than my roommate.”
“Please stop chattering and focus on the exam.”
“The office was filled with the chatter of coworkers gossiping about the new boss.”
“Even in the freezing wind, the monkeys kept chattering as if discussing world politics.”
📚Related Words
Want to master 27,000+ words?
Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.