Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
A village council meeting.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Africa, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Talk, especially unnecessary talk; chatter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Canada, US, archaic, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: hot air, babble, bavardage, bibble-babble, blab, blabber, blabbing, blather, blathering, chatter, chinwag, chit-chat, claver, clepe, gabble, mardle, natter, palaver, prate, prattle, scuttlebutt, small talk, tattle, twaddle, waffle, yackety-yak, yap, yatter
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Mentally draining activity, either physical or fuss.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, countable, uncountable
Synonyms: ado, bother, argy-bargy, bangarang, bobbery, brouhaha, bunfight, bustle, bust-up, chaos, ferment, clamour, clatter, commotion, disruption, disturbance, flap, flutter, foofaraw, fracas, furor, fuss, hobbleshaw, hoo-ha, hoo-hah, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly-burly, kerfuffle, mayhem, merry hell, outcry, palaver, pandemonium, pother, quarrel, riot, rowdydow, ruckus, rumpus, shemozzle, shindy, splatterdash, stir, stooshie, three-ring circus, to-do, tomfoolery, trouble, tumult, turmoil, unrest, uproar, upstir, carry-on, circus act, riddle me ree, rigmarole, song and dance
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A meeting at which there is much talk; a debate; a moot.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Disagreement.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, informal, uncountable
Synonyms: conflict, quarrel, argument, argy-bargy, altercation, contention, barney, bawl out, blue, bobbery, brawl, clash, controversy, debate, difference, ding-dong, disagreement, discordance, disharmony, disputation, dispute, dissonance, disunion, dustup, face-off, falling out, feud, fight, flite, hassle, issue, palaver, quibble, row, spat, squabble, tangle, threap, tiff, wrangle
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Talk intended to deceive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: doublespeak, double talk
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To discuss with much talk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: jabber, rabbit, yak, babble, bat the breeze, blab, blabber, blather, carp, chat, chatter, chew the fat, chew the rag, chinwag, chit-chat, chunner, clack, claver, clepe, drivel, gabble, gibber, go on, maunder, natter, palaver, piffle, prate, prattle, rabbit on, ramble, shoot the breeze, shoot the bull, shoot the shit, smatter, tattle, twaddle, waffle, wibble, witter, yabber, yack, yatter, yap
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To flatter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: jolly, puff, brush up to, collogue, flatter, flatterize, glaver, gloze, lay it on thick, make fair weather, palaver, preen, soothe, speak well of, stroke, tickle the ear
Antonyms: none provided
noun
loud and confused and empty talk
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: hot air, empty words, empty talk, rhetoric
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: nonsense, bunk, nonsensicality, meaninglessness, hokum
noun
flattery intended to persuade
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: blandishment, cajolery
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: flattery
verb
have a lengthy discussion, usually between people of different backgrounds
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: parley
verb
influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: wheedle, cajole, blarney, coax, sweet-talk, inveigle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: persuade
Narrower terms: soft-soap, browbeat, bully, swagger
verb
speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: chatter, piffle, prate, tittle-tattle, twaddle, clack, maunder, prattle, blab, gibber, tattle, blabber, gabble
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: talk, speak, utter, mouth, verbalize, verbalise
Narrower terms: babble, blather, smatter, blether, blither
History
Originally nautical slang, from Portuguese palavra (“word”), from Late Latin parabola (“parable, speech”). The term's use (especially in Africa) mimics the evolution of the word moot. As such, for sense development, see moot. Doublet of parable, parole, and parabola.
Across languages
32 source translations are retained for this English entry.
