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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of chatter in English

chatter
verb [ I ]
uk
/ˈtʃæt.ər/ us
/ˈtʃæt̬.ɚ/

chatter verb [I] (TALK/NOISE)

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to talk for a long time about things that are not important:
chatter away She spent the morning chattering away to her friends.
He chattered happily about nothing in particular.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to talk to someone
  • talkA group of men were talking in the street.
  • speakCould I speak to you privately?
  • sayI couldn't hear what they were saying.
  • chatWe were just chatting about the party.
  • have a chatWe had a little chat over the garden wall.
  • chatterThey spent the morning chattering away.
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If animals chatter, they make quick, repeated noises:
The gun shot made the monkeys chatter in alarm.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Informal talking & conversation
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chatter verb [I] (TEETH)

If your teeth chatter, they knock together repeatedly because you are very cold or frightened:
I could hardly talk, my teeth were chattering so much.
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Making short, sudden movements
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chatter
noun [ U ]
uk
/ˈtʃæt.ər/ us
/ˈtʃæt̬.ɚ/
conversation about things that are not important:
I can't concentrate with Ann's constant chatter.
the quick, repeated noises that some animals make:
He could hear the chatter of birds in the trees overhead.
communication between people over the internet:
Experts monitor internet chatter for the government.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Informal talking & conversation
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(Definition of chatter from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

chatter | American Dictionary

chatter
verb [ I ]
us
/ˈtʃæt̬·ər/
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to talk continuously and usually for no serious purpose:
The boys and girls kept chattering during the movie.
If your teeth chatter, you are so cold or frightened that you can’t stop your upper and lower teeth from hitting against each other.
An animal or a machine that chatters makes a sound like fast, continuous talking:
Birds chattered in the trees.
The printer was chattering away on the desk.

chatter

noun [ U ] us
/ˈtʃæt̬·ər/
The air was full of the chatter of birds.
(Definition of chatter from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of chatter

chatter
I tried to listen carefully to his argument, but now he seems to want to spend the whole of the time chattering.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
What is attractive is the drama, which can promptly attract an audience; a drawing-room or a living-room audience, perhaps chattering away.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
He was blunt and almost unkind about what he called the "chattering classes".
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Frankly, it has not been helped by the way in which the chattering classes have reported it.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
The fact that such products are being sold means that there is greater interest in food, by and large among the chattering classes.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
People have been chattering for years about that but all to no avail.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Objections and criticisms were rejected, on the basis that they were no more than dinner table talk at the soirees of the chattering classes.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
What we have is a war between the political classes, with members of the chattering classes starting to score points off one another.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
I wonder how many citizens in our respective constituencies are busy chattering about it?
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
The chattering classes are trying to implement changes without any real support from the public.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
People are chattering about dropping the flat rate for fish.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
I believe that its parents are, first the chattering classes and, secondly, the spin doctors.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
He sits and chatters in a high voice.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Until recently, it could have been said that freedom of information was a matter for the chattering classes.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
They were chattering about the advantages of retirement.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
See all examples of chatter
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of chatter?
 

Translations of chatter

in Chinese (Traditional)
談話／嘈音, 嘮叨, 喋喋不休…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
谈话／嘈音, 唠叨, 喋喋不休…
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in Spanish
parlotear, castañetear, cháchara…
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in Portuguese
jogar conversa fora, ter conversa fiada, conversa fiada…
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in more languages
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Czech
in Danish
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Korean
in Ukrainian
in Italian
くだらないことをしゃべる, くだらないおしゃべり, 歯（は）をガチガチ鳴（な）らす…
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gevezelik etmek, durmaksızın konuşmak, çene çalmak…
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claquer, jacasser, bavarder…
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xerrar, garlar, xerrameca…
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babbelen, klapperen, gebabbel…
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brebentit, štěbetat, jektat (zuby)…
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knævre løs, klapre, knævren løs…
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mengoceh, gemeletuk, ocehan…
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พูดพล่าม, กระทบกันเมื่อรู้สึกหนาว, การพูดเรื่อยเปื่อย…
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nói huyên thuyên, tiếng lập cập, sự nói huyên thuyên…
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nawijać, paplać, szczękać…
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pladdra, prata, skallra…
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berceloteh, gelatukan…
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schwatzen, klappern, das Geschwätz…
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hakke tenner, skravle, plapre…
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수다를 떨다, 수다…
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щебетати, цокотіти, клацати…
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chiacchierare, chiacchiere, ciarle…
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