gab

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɡæb/ UK /ɡæb/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like gob /æ/ vs /ɑ/

Meanings

1

verb
to talk idly or at length; idle chatter

The two neighbors would gab over the fence for hours.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to talk idly or at length;... chatter prattle blab jabber prate babble talk

Word family

Derived forms gabbygabber

Related forms gabble

Appears in

Idioms (1)

See all

the gift of the gab
the ability to speak persuasively and fluently

Simplified etymology

Gab, recorded in the early 18th century in expressions such as gift of the gab, is a variant of gob, the informal word for “mouth.” That gob probably comes from Irish and Scottish Gaelic gob, “beak or mouth.”

Etymology

From Middle English, of Scandinavian or Scottish origin, related to 'gabble' and Old Norse 'gabba' ('to mock'); ultimately imitative.

gabba Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# gab

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ɡæb/
**IPA (UK):** /ɡæb/

## Meanings
1. to talk idly or at length; idle chatter

## Examples
- The two neighbors would gab over the fence for hours.

## Synonyms
- chatter
- prattle
- blab
- jabber
- prate
- babble
- talk

## Derived Forms
- gabby
- gabber

## Related Forms
- gabble

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: gabba

## Etymology
From Middle English, of Scandinavian or Scottish origin, related to 'gabble' and Old Norse 'gabba' ('to mock'); ultimately imitative.

## AI Etymology
Gab comes from Middle English, of Scandinavian or Scottish origin, related to 'gabble' and Old Norse 'gabba' ('to mock'); ultimately imitative. The development is chiefly a borrowing or learned continuation, carrying an older form and meaning into English rather than building the word from a purely native base. In present use, it is used as a verb and noun meaning "to talk idly or at length; idle chatter", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as gabby and gabber and related forms such as gabble, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Old Norse gabba, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood includes chatter, prattle, blab, and jabber, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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gab