bubble

[buhb-uh l] /ˈbʌb əl/
noun
1.
a nearly spherical body of gas contained in a liquid.
2.
a small globule of gas in a thin liquid envelope.
3.
a globule of air or gas, or a globular vacuum, contained in a solid.
4.
anything that lacks firmness, substance, or permanence; an illusion or delusion.
5.
an inflated speculation, especially if fraudulent:
The real-estate bubble ruined many investors.
6.
the act or sound of bubbling.
7.
a spherical or nearly spherical canopy or shelter; dome:
The bombing plane bristled with machine-gun bubbles. A network of radar bubbles stretches across northern Canada.
8.
a domelike structure, usually of inflated plastic, used to enclose a swimming pool, tennis court, etc.
9.
Informal. a protected, exempt, or unique area, industry, etc.:
The oasis is a bubble of green in the middle of the desert.
10.
an area that can be defended, protected, patrolled, etc., or that comes under one's jurisdiction:
The carrier fleet's bubble includes the Hawaiian Islands.
11.
a sudden, small, temporary change or divergence from a trend:
In May there was a bubble in car sales, with three percent more being sold than last year.
verb (used without object), bubbled, bubbling.
12.
to form, produce, or release bubbles; effervesce.
13.
to flow or spout with a gurgling noise; gurgle.
14.
to boil:
The tea bubbled in the pot.
15.
to speak, move, issue forth, or exist in a lively, sparkling manner; exude cheer:
The play bubbled with songs and dances.
16.
to seethe or stir, as with excitement:
His mind bubbles with plans and schemes.
verb (used with object), bubbled, bubbling.
17.
to cause to bubble; make bubbles in.
18.
Archaic. to cheat; deceive; swindle.
Verb phrases
19.
bubble over, to become lively:
The last time I saw her she was bubbling over with enthusiasm.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English bobel (noun); cognate with Middle Dutch bobbel, Middle Low German bubbele, Sw bubbla
Related forms
bubbleless, adjective
bubblelike, adjective
bubblingly, adverb
Can be confused
babble, Babel, bauble, bubble.
Examples from the web for bubble
  • Rock the rose back and forth to settle it in and to allow air pockets to bubble up through the mud.
  • Not only is my label slightly askew, it has a crease and a bubble in it.
  • He unscrews the cap and lets a few drops leak onto the stone, where they fizz and bubble.
  • She smiled, and a playful bubble drifted between us.
  • Muddy water rippled, and a bubble bigger than a coffee table rose to the surface.
  • Keep the bowl at room temperature until the mixture has started to bubble.
  • It is physically impossible for bubble curls to survive the stress of a flying cap.
  • It was sufficiently calm in the bubble of air on the top of the wing so that people could talk to each other.
  • bubble bath soap poisoning occurs when someone swallows bubble bath soap.
  • But some people believe there's an education bubble being inflated.
British Dictionary definitions for bubble

bubble

/ˈbʌbəl/
noun
1.
a thin film of liquid forming a hollow globule around air or a gas: a soap bubble
2.
a small globule of air or a gas in a liquid or a solid, as in carbonated drinks, glass, etc
3.
the sound made by a bubbling liquid
4.
something lacking substance, stability, or seriousness
5.
an unreliable scheme or enterprise
6.
a dome, esp a transparent glass or plastic one
verb
7.
to form or cause to form bubbles
8.
(intransitive) to move or flow with a gurgling sound
9.
(intransitive) ; often foll by over. to overflow (with excitement, anger, etc)
10.
(intransitive) (Scot) to snivel; blubber
See also bubble under
Word Origin
C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish bubbla, Danish boble, Dutch bobbel, all of imitative origin
Word Origin and History for bubble
n.

early 14c., perhaps from Middle Dutch bobbel (n.) and/or Middle Low German bubbeln (v.), all probably of echoic origin. Bubble bath first recorded 1949. Of financial schemes originally in South Sea Bubble (1590s), on notion of "fragile and insubstantial."

v.

mid-15c., perhaps from bubble (n.) and/or from Middle Low German bubbeln (v.), probably of echoic origin. Related: Bubbled; bubbling.

bubble in Culture

bubble definition


A period of wild speculation in which the price of a commodity or stock or an entire market is inflated far beyond its real value. Bubbles are said to “burst” when a general awareness of the folly emerges and the price drops.