bubble

B1 Topic:Economics & Markets

US /ˈbʌb.l̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #5255

Meanings

1

noun
A thin ball of liquid filled with air or gas

The children blew soap bubbles in the garden.
2

verb
To form or produce bubbles

The soup bubbled gently on the stove.
3

verb
To flow with a soft gurgling sound

A small stream bubbled through the forest.
4

noun
An idea or situation that seems hopeful but is unrealistic and likely to fail

He hated to burst her bubble, but the plan would never work.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 verb · to flow with a soft... gurgle ripple

Word family

Forms bubbledbubblesbubbling

Derived forms abubbleanti-bubbleantibubblebubble-brainedbubble-gumbubble-headbubble-pinkbubble-upbubble-wrapbubbleablebubblegumbubblehead

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

bubble gum
a type of chewing gum that can be stretched into bubbles with the mouth

Noun + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

filter bubble
the intellectual isolation created by algorithms that feed you only content you already agree with

Simplified etymology

Bubble belongs to a group of words found in Germanic and Romance languages that appear to imitate bubbling sounds. Related formations include Middle English burble and the later words blubber and blub.

Etymology

Partly imitative, also influenced by burble. Compare Middle Dutch bobbe (“bubble”) > Dutch bubbel (“bubble”), Low German bubbel (“bubble”), Danish boble (“bubble”), Swedish bubbla (“bubble”). The word was first used in its economic sense in association with the collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720, based on the metaphor of an inflated soap bubble bursting.

Topics

Economics & Markets Materials & Substances

External links

# bubble

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈbʌb.l̩/
**Frequency rank:** 5255

## Meanings
1. A thin ball of liquid filled with air or gas
2. To form or produce bubbles
3. To flow with a soft gurgling sound
4. An idea or situation that seems hopeful but is unrealistic and likely to fail

## Examples
- The children blew soap bubbles in the garden.
- The soup bubbled gently on the stove.
- A small stream bubbled through the forest.
- He hated to burst her bubble, but the plan would never work.

## Derived Forms
- abubble
- anti-bubble
- antibubble
- bubble-brained
- bubble-gum
- bubble-head
- bubble-pink
- bubble-up
- bubble-wrap
- bubbleable
- bubblegum
- bubblehead

## Etymology
Partly imitative, also influenced by burble. Compare Middle Dutch bobbe (“bubble”) > Dutch bubbel (“bubble”), Low German bubbel (“bubble”), Danish boble (“bubble”), Swedish bubbla (“bubble”). The word was first used in its economic sense in association with the collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720, based on the metaphor of an inflated soap bubble bursting.

## AI Etymology
Bubble is partly imitative, also influenced by burble. Compare Middle Dutch bobbe (“bubble”) > Dutch bubbel (“bubble”), Low German bubbel (“bubble”), Danish boble (“bubble”), Swedish bubbla (“bubble”). The word was first used in its economic sense in association with the collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720, based on the metaphor of an inflated soap bubble bursting.

## Topics
- Economics & Markets
- Materials & Substances

markdown