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bubble
The definition of a bubble is a thin liquid that forms into a ball around air or gas, a tiny ball of air or gas in a liquid, or something in this shape.
(noun)- An example of a bubble is a thin ball of soap; a soap bubble.
- An example of a bubble is the carbonation in a soda.
Bubble means to make or form into thin balls of liquid or foam, or to make a boiling sound.
(verb)- An example of bubble is for boiling water to start forming little balls on the surface of the water.
- An example of bubble is making a popping sound such as the sound made by a pot of tomato sauce that is boiling on the stove.
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See bubble in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- a very thin film of liquid forming a ball around air or gas: soap bubbles
- a tiny ball of air or gas in a liquid or solid, as in carbonated water, glass, etc.
- anything shaped like a bubble, sphere, or hemisphere, as a plastic or glass dome
- anything that is ephemeral or insubstantial
- any idea, scheme, etc. that seems plausible at first but quickly shows itself to be worthless or misleading
- the act, process, or sound of bubbling
Origin: ME bobel, of echoic orig., as in MDu bubbel
intransitive verb bubbled, bubbling
- to make bubbles; rise in bubbles; boil; foam; effervesce
- to make a boiling or gurgling sound
Origin: ME bobelen
transitive verb
- to form bubbles in; make bubble
- ☆ Informal to cause (a baby) to burp
See bubble in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- A thin, usually spherical or hemispherical film of liquid filled with air or gas: a soap bubble.
- A globular body of air or gas formed within a liquid: air bubbles rising to the surface.
- A pocket formed in a solid by air or gas that is trapped, as during cooling or hardening.
- a. The act or process of forming bubbles.b. A sound made by or as if by the forming and bursting of bubbles.
- Something insubstantial, groundless, or ephemeral, especially:a. A fantastic or impracticable idea or belief; an illusion: didn't want to burst the new volunteers' bubble.b. A speculative scheme that comes to nothing: lost money in the real estate bubble.
- Something light or effervescent: “Macon—though terribly distressed—had to fight down a bubble of laughter” (Anne Tyler).
- A usually transparent glass or plastic dome.
- A protective, often isolating envelope or cover: “The Secret Service will talk of tightening protection, but no President wants to live in a bubble” (Anthony Lewis).
- To form or give off bubbles.
- To move or flow with a gurgling sound: a brook bubbling along its course.
- To rise to or as if to the surface; emerge: “Since then, the revolution has bubbled up again in many forms” (Jonathan Schell).
- To display irrepressible activity or emotion: bubbling over with excitement.
To cause to form bubbles.
Origin:
Origin: From Middle English bubelen, to bubble
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