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bub​ble
noun
bub·​ble
ˈbə-bəl
plural bub​bles

Definition (Entry 1 of 2)

  • a small globule that is typically hollow and light: such as
    a small body of gas within a liquid //air bubbles in the water //bubbles rising in champagne
    a thin film of liquid inflated with air or gas //soap bubbles
    a globule in a transparent solid //… the bubbles and blisters typical of 19th century glass. — Packaging Magazine
    something (such as a plastic or inflatable structure) that is hemispherical or semicylindrical //With the ground apt to warm up to 110 degrees or so, and a greenhouse effect inside the glass bubble of the cockpit, … the pilot has to endure temperatures that may exceed 120 degrees. — Laurence Gonzales
  • something that lacks firmness, solidity, or reality //A dream of what thou wast … a breath, a bubble … — William Shakespeare
    a delusive or fraudulent scheme or undertaking —often used in the capitalized names of specific bubbles //At about the same time as the South Sea episode, France was going through a financial lunacy of its own, the so-called Mississippi Bubble. Stocks in a fanciful scheme for developing the Louisiana wilderness rose so rapidly that, in 1719, an investment of a few thousand livres yielded millions in a matter of weeks. — Kevin Jackson
  • a sound of or like that of bubbling or gurgling liquid //bubbles of laughter //The pauses in the dull beating of the surf were filled up by … the cold faint bubble of the brook over its stony bed. — Wilkie Collins
  • a state of booming economic activity (as in a stock market) that often ends in a sudden collapse //With Wall Street otherwise limping along, the health-care industry is making investment bankers feel better than they have since the tech bubble burst. — Linda Stern //… the housing bubble, which allowed working-class and middle-class families to raise their standard of living despite income stagnation or downward job mobility. — Don Peck
  • the condition of being at risk of exclusion or replacement (as from a tournament) —usually used in the phrase on the bubble //teams still on the bubble for the playoffs
  • an enclosed or isolated sphere of experience or activity in which the like-minded members of a homogeneous community support and reinforce their shared opinions //the liberal/conservative bubble //Countless people … complain that Facebook employees are increasingly living in a bubble. — Nick Bilton
    a usually small group of people (such as family members, friends, coworkers, or classmates) who regularly interact closely with one another but with few or no others in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection during an outbreak of a contagious disease pod entry 3 sense 2 //A quarantine bubble is a group of individuals or families whose members have been safely quarantining and who can now start hanging out with other observant groups, so long as the families observe safety guidelines and agree to be exclusive. — Jennifer Weiner //If students suspect that they have the virus or test positive, they will move into a separate isolation housing complex, and university officials will trace their contacts. After the second round of testing, students will be expected to remain in designated cohorts or social bubbles, limiting contact with others. , aspect facet feature quality side
bub​ble
noun
bub·​ble
ˈbə-bəl
plural bub​bles

Definition (Entry 1 of 2)

  • a small globule that is typically hollow and light: such as
    a small body of gas within a liquid //air bubbles in the water //bubbles rising in champagne
    a thin film of liquid inflated with air or gas //soap bubbles
    a globule in a transparent solid //… the bubbles and blisters typical of 19th century glass. — Packaging Magazine
    something (such as a plastic or inflatable structure) that is hemispherical or semicylindrical //With the ground apt to warm up to 110 degrees or so, and a greenhouse effect inside the glass bubble of the cockpit, … the pilot has to endure temperatures that may exceed 120 degrees. — Laurence Gonzales
  • something that lacks firmness, solidity, or reality //A dream of what thou wast … a breath, a bubble … — William Shakespeare
    a delusive or fraudulent scheme or undertaking —often used in the capitalized names of specific bubbles //At about the same time as the South Sea episode, France was going through a financial lunacy of its own, the so-called Mississippi Bubble. Stocks in a fanciful scheme for developing the Louisiana wilderness rose so rapidly that, in 1719, an investment of a few thousand livres yielded millions in a matter of weeks. — Kevin Jackson
  • a sound of or like that of bubbling or gurgling liquid //bubbles of laughter //The pauses in the dull beating of the surf were filled up by … the cold faint bubble of the brook over its stony bed. — Wilkie Collins
  • a state of booming economic activity (as in a stock market) that often ends in a sudden collapse //With Wall Street otherwise limping along, the health-care industry is making investment bankers feel better than they have since the tech bubble burst. — Linda Stern //… the housing bubble, which allowed working-class and middle-class families to raise their standard of living despite income stagnation or downward job mobility. — Don Peck
  • the condition of being at risk of exclusion or replacement (as from a tournament) —usually used in the phrase on the bubble //teams still on the bubble for the playoffs
  • an enclosed or isolated sphere of experience or activity in which the like-minded members of a homogeneous community support and reinforce their shared opinions //the liberal/conservative bubble //Countless people … complain that Facebook employees are increasingly living in a bubble. — Nick Bilton
    a usually small group of people (such as family members, friends, coworkers, or classmates) who regularly interact closely with one another but with few or no others in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection during an outbreak of a contagious disease pod entry 3 sense 2 //A quarantine bubble is a group of individuals or families whose members have been safely quarantining and who can now start hanging out with other observant groups, so long as the families observe safety guidelines and agree to be exclusive. — Jennifer Weiner //If students suspect that they have the virus or test positive, they will move into a separate isolation housing complex, and university officials will trace their contacts. After the second round of testing, students will be expected to remain in designated cohorts or social bubbles, limiting contact with others.