English▸ verb [no object]
1 talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way:
they babbled on about their holiday.
▪ [reporting verb] utter something rapidly and incoherently:
[with direct speech] I gasped and stared and babbled, 'Look at this!'.
▪ reveal something secret or confidential by talking carelessly:
he babbled to another convict while he was in jail.
2 (of flowing water) make a continuous murmuring sound:
the shallow river babbled over smooth rocks.
▸ noun [mass noun]
– ORIGIN Middle English: from Middle Low German babbelen, or an independent English formation, as a frequentative based on the repeated syllable ba, typical of a child's early speech.