to babble out
- phrasal verb
- /ˈbæbəl aʊt/
- Informal
:
soltar
- In his excitement, Jake began to babble out details about the surprise party he was planning.
Examples
-
Amy babbled out what had happened, but before the man could get out of his car, Kyle drove off.
Fiction book (2001) -
She accidentally babble out her friend's secret while chatting with the group.
-
During the interview, he couldn't help but babble out every little detail about the project.
Synonyms
435
6.1
Tell secrets or private facts because of pressure
164
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
114
3.4
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
43
6.0
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
42
3.9
Say something suddenly without thinking
32
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
29
7.4
To tell a secret
21
7.4
To tell secrets without thinking
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
12
6.3
To tell someone a secret that should be kept
8
7.0
Tell a person in charge about someone else's bad actions in a childish way
6
7.8
To talk too much and tell secrets carelessly
5
5.6
Accidentally tell someone something you want to keep secret
5
8.1
To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly
5
8.0
To say things carelessly or proudly without thinking about the result
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
3
5.3
Tell secret information carelessly to others
2
7.3
To reveal too much personal information to other people
1
8.4
To tell secrets about someone to other people
1
5.5
To tell a secret by accident and spoil a surprise
1
8.5
To tell private or bad things about someone to other people
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
1
9.1
To openly say something people usually keep secret
Antonyms
How Revealing
143
4.6
- Informal
18
6.0
- Informal
42
3.9
- Informal
5
5.6
229
1.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to reveal confidential information carelessly' is directly derivable from combining 'babble' (to talk in an uncontrolled way, often revealing things) with the particle 'out' (which commonly marks disclosure). This follows a regular English verb+out compositional pattern that a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer.
Etymology
The phrasal verb babble out comes from the image of someone talking fast and without control—like a baby babble—so words seem to spill out of them before they can stop. That's why it means 'to reveal private or secret information in a careless way'.