Definition

1. Noun:

   • A bubbling or gurgling sound: The sound made by liquid flowing or moving irregularly, often with air mixed in, such as water from a narrow-necked bottle or a small stream.

2. Verb:

   • To make a bubbling sound: To produce a low, irregular bubbling noise, often when liquid or air moves through a liquid.
   • To flow with a bubbling sound: To move in an irregular current while making such a sound.
   • To speak or utter with a gurgling sound: To produce vocal sounds that are wet, choked, or impeded, as if from a constricted throat or the presence of liquid.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The only sound in the room was the gentle gurgle of the aquarium filter.
  • We could hear the gurgle of the brook from our cabin.

• Verb:

  • The water began to gurgle down the drain.
  • The wounded man tried to speak but could only gurgle.
  • The baby will gurgle happily when she sees her favorite toy.

Advanced Usage

• "to gurgle with (an emotion)": To make a gurgling sound that expresses a particular feeling, often contentment or amusement.

  • The infant gurgled with delight at the colorful mobile.

• Describing inanimate objects: Used to personify objects that produce a similar sound.

  • The old coffee machine gurgled to life.

Variants and Related Words

• Guggle (verb): A less common variant of "gurgle," meaning to flow or make a sound with a gurgle.
• Gurgling (adjective/noun): The act or sound of gurgling.
  • The gurgling noise was coming from the pipes.

Synonyms

• Bubble (verb): To form bubbles, often making a similar sound.
• Babble (verb): For water, to make a continuous murmuring sound; for speech, to talk rapidly and continuously.
• Burble (verb): To make a continuous murmuring noise, often used for water or speech.
• Ripple (verb): To flow with a slight, gentle sound.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Gurgle" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically contained in the single verb.)

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms that centrally feature the word "gurgle." It is primarily used for its literal descriptive meaning.)

Noun

1. the bubbling sound of water flowing from a bottle with a narrow neck

Verb

1. utter with a gurgling sound
   • `Help,' the stabbing victim gurgled
2. drink from a flask with a gurgling sound
3. make sounds similar to gurgling water
   • The baby gurgled with satisfaction when the mother tickled it
4. flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise
   • babbling brooks