WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2023chat•ter /ˈtʃætɚ/USA pronunciation
v. [no object]
- to talk rapidly and without purpose or direction;
jabber:The children were chattering about their weekend adventures.
- to make rapid, speechlike sounds, such as a monkey or bird:The monkeys were chattering in the forest.
- to make a rapid noise caused by the striking together of separate parts: teeth chattering from the cold.
n. [uncountable]
- rapid talk without a purpose:Cut the chatter and let's get back to work.
- the act or sound of chattering:the chatter of printers.
chat•ter•er, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023chat•ter
(chat′ər),USA pronunciation v.i.
- to talk rapidly in a foolish or purposeless way;
jabber.
- to utter a succession of quick, inarticulate, speechlike sounds, as monkeys or certain birds.
- to make a rapid clicking noise by striking together:His teeth were chattering from the cold.
- Mechanical Engineering[Mach.](of a cutting tool or piece of metal) to vibrate during cutting so as to produce surface flaws on the work.
v.t.
- to utter rapidly or purposelessly.
- to cause to chatter, as the teeth from cold.
n.
- purposeless or foolish talk.
- a series of waves or ridges on the surface of a piece of metal that has been imperfectly drawn or extruded.
- the act or sound of chattering.
- 1200–50; Middle English chateren; imitative
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged clatter, click.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
chatter /ˈtʃætə/ vb - to speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly; prattle
- (intransitive) (of birds, monkeys, etc) to make rapid repetitive high-pitched noises resembling human speech
- (intransitive) (of the teeth) to click together rapidly through cold or fear
- (intransitive) to make rapid intermittent contact with a component, as in machining, causing irregular cutting
n - idle or foolish talk; gossip
- the high-pitched repetitive noise made by a bird, monkey, etc
- the rattling of objects, such as parts of a machine
Etymology: 13th Century: of imitative origin
'chatter' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):