bubble
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A small spherical cavity in a solid material.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
buhbuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbʌbəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A small spherical cavity in a solid material.
A spherically contained volume of air or other gas, especially one made from soapy liquid.
by extension
Anything resembling a hollow sphere.
figurative
Anything lacking firmness or solidity; a cheat or fraud; an empty project.
The globule of air in the chamber of a spirit level.
A small, hollow, floating bead or globe, formerly used for testing the strength of spirits.
verb
intransitive
To produce bubbles, to rise up in bubbles (such as in foods cooking or liquids boiling).
intransitivefigurative
To rise through a medium or system, similar to the way that bubbles rise in liquid.
intransitivefigurative
To churn or foment, as if wishing to rise to the surface.
transitive
To cause to feel as if bubbling or churning.
transitive
To express in a bubbly or lively manner.
transitive
To pat a baby on the back so as to cause it to belch.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A small spherical cavity in a solid material.
Used this way, bubble is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use bubble
- “The child loved to chase the big, shiny bubble floating in the air.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A solo dance similar to a fan dance except large balloons are used instead of fans.
A kind of chewing gum that can be blown into bubbles.
An allergic contact dermatitis developed around the lips of children who chew bubble gum.
A kind of ink-jet printer.
Overflow with a certain feeling.
Packaging in which a product is sealed between a cardboard backing and clear plastic cover.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.