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to bubble

to bubble

15 2.0
To move and make soft gurgling sounds in water
  • verb
  • /ˈbʌbəl/
: borbotear
  • OK, it's sure bubbling, but it doesn't look like it's cooking.

Please watch carefully as my lime water, as it bubbles, it starts to turn Milky.

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Examples

  • The water began to bubble as it heated on the stove.

  • The walls were covered with reed matting, and a noxious-smelling cauldron bubbled in the fireplace.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • You know, they bubble away under the surface for for a while.

  • Let that sit and boil and bubble in a pan.

  • The water all around him started bubbling up, and then we saw it.

  • It's the air locks bubbling through, you see.

  • Methane gas bubbles up through the water in the pool.

  • Lily's heart felt light, and a smile bubbled up to her face.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The soup, which had been bubbling on the hearth all day, soothed him.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The water churned and steamed in the dark; mud bubbled and snorted.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

to gurgle
vsto bubble
30 3.7

To make a bubbling sound like water moving in a bottle

describes flowing in an irregular current while making small rising noises
to bubble up
vsto bubble
23 3.7

To move up in bubbles or appear suddenly

describes broad irregular flow along a current that generates ongoing small noises
to burble
vsto bubble
8 7.5

To make a soft low sound like water moving over stones

focuses on irregular current motion that creates repeated small noises
to babble
vsto bubble
3 4.2

Make a soft bubbling sound as water moves over stones

highlights the active irregular current that causes those soft noises
to form bubbles
vsto bubble
1 2.9

Make small round pockets of air inside or on a liquid

is about the liquid moving irregularly and making repeated small noises rather than just forming pockets
to purl
vsto bubble
  • Archaic
1 9.3

To flow quietly and make a soft, pleasant sound like a small stream

stresses irregular current movement that produces distinct rising noises
to guggle
vsto bubble
1 9.9

To make a soft bubbling sound when liquid moves or someone pours it

refers to the liquid moving in an irregular current that causes such noise
to bloop
vsto bubble
1 6.7

To make a short, soft popping sound in a liquid

describes sustained irregular flow that produces repeated small noises rather than single sounds
to popple
vsto bubble
  • Archaic
9.7

To make small bubbles and light splashes in water

emphasizes the flowing current and the small noises coming from it

Antonyms

593 1.0

Not moving or making a sound

Idioms

20 6.3

Tell someone that something they hoped for is not true

1 9.9

Fail to follow what is happening and become confused

Phrasal Verbs

23 3.7

To move up in bubbles or appear suddenly

To make a small round pocket of air in soapy water by puffing with your mouth

To be so full of strong feeling or excitement that you show it clearly

Show so much excitement that you cannot hide it

2.7

Burst the small air bubbles in plastic wrap for fun or to feel calm

Compounds

25 1.0

A sweet chewing gum that you can blow into bubbles

23 1.9

A bath with foamy scented water to relax in

12 1.7

A soft plastic sheet with many small air bubbles that stops fragile things from breaking when you pack them

10 1.9

A small pocket of air trapped inside a liquid or solid

5 1.8

A round pocket of air made from soap and water

4 2.0

A liquid or powder that you add to bathwater to make foam and a nice smell

A cloud-shaped picture above a character's head showing what they think

bubble brain
  • Informal
1 9.5

A short time when someone cannot think clearly

A British dish made by frying leftover cabbage and potatoes, often served with eggs or bacon

A rounded shape in comics that shows what a character says or thinks

1 3.0

A clear plastic cover with small bubbles that holds a product on a piece of cardboard

bubble chamber
  • Archaic
1 7.8

A tank of very hot liquid where tiny bubbles show the paths of invisible particles

A small round pocket of gas that rises in champagne

1 3.6

Having a round, hollow shape like a small ball

1 9.8

A solo dance using large balloons to hide and show the dancer's body

1 4.2

A printer that uses heat to make tiny ink bubbles and prints them on paper

bubble shell
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A small sea snail with a thin round shell like a bubble

A round ball that you make by blowing air into chewing gum in your mouth

Westminster bubble
  • Literature
1 8.8

A group of politicians and journalists cut off from ordinary people and their problems

hubble-bubble
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A pipe with a long tube that passes tobacco smoke through water

bubble-jet printer
  • Specialized
3.8

A machine that prints by spraying tiny drops of ink onto paper

bubble gum dermatitis
  • Specialized
7.4

A skin rash around the lips after chewing bubble gum with artificial colors or flavors

A device that stores information as tiny magnetic areas on a thin layer, used in older computers

How Bubbly

to boil
255 1.0
to churn
50 4.8
to bubble
15 2.0
to gurgle
30 3.7
ripple
28 2.6

Surface Forms

bubble infinitive
bubbled past
bubbled past participle
bubbling present participle
bubbles third person singular

Etymology

Bubble comes from the little sound bub- or 'bub' that copies soft water noises, which is why we say a stream 'bubbles' when it flows with a quiet gurgle.