chatter

Meaning

1. Talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk.
2. The sound of talking.
3. The vocalisations of a Eurasian magpie, Pica pica.
4. The vocalisations of various birds or other animals.
5. An intermittent noise, as from vibration.
6. In national security, the degree of communication between suspect groups and individuals, used to gauge the degree of expected terrorist activity.
7. The situation where a drill or similar tool vibrates and tears the material rather than cutting it cleanly.

babble

jabber

talk nonsense

idle talk

talk idly

talk too much

tittle tattle

keep on talking

useless words

speak foolishly

be loquacious

make noise

speak unadvisedly

speak nonsense

prittle prattle

babblement

click-clack

axial knock

wag one’s tongue

rattle away

chin wagging

blurt out

blether

chat with

clickety-clack

beating

go on and on

let on

yattinʼ

storytelling

talk a lot

talk incoherently

talk loudly

in a low voice

ramble on

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtʃætə/

From Middle English chateren, from earlier cheteren, chiteren (“to twitter, chatter, jabber”), of imitative origin. Compare Saterland Frisian tjoaterje (“to chatter”), West Frisian tsjotterje (“to chatter”), Dutch schateren, schetteren (“chatter”), Dutch koeteren (“jabber”), Middle Low German kidderen (“to chatter”), German Low German queteln (“to chatter”), dialectal German kaudern (“to gobble (like a turkey)”), Danish kvidre (“to twitter, chirp”).