chatter
gb/t͡ʃˈætɚ/ us/t͡ʃˈætɚ/
B1
Inglés
~ 8900
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Verbo
B1
action
1
talk quickly about small things
To talk fast and for a long time about small or unimportant things.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] chatters (about [something])
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes use "chatter" where simple "talk" or "speak" is better in formal situations. "Chatter" usually suggests light, informal talk, often for a long time, and is not used for serious speeches or presentations. It is also rarely used with a direct object; you say "chatter about the movie," not "*chatter the movie."
Sinónimos
chat (More neutral and common; does not always suggest talking very quickly or continuously.)
|
prattle (Suggests talking at length in a silly or childish way; slightly negative or literary.)
Antónimos
keep quiet (Means not speaking or speaking very little, the opposite of talking quickly and a lot.)
Colocaciones
chatter away
|chatter excitedly
|chatter about nothing
|nervous chatter
|kids chattering
|chatter on and on
Temas
daily life
|communication
|social
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The kids chattered excitedly about their trip to the zoo.
- She chattered on about her new job all through dinner.
- They sat by the window, chattering about nothing in particular.
- He tends to chatter when he’s nervous before a meeting.
- We could hear the students chattering in the hallway between classes.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The two girls chattered on the bus.
- He chattered about his weekend for an hour.
- The boys chattered happily after the game.
- They sat in the cafe and chattered about school.
- She always chatters when she is nervous.
Sustantivo
B1
entity
2
quick light informal talk
Fast, happy talk about small or unimportant things.
Patrón de uso:
[chatter] about [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse "chatter" with "gossip." "Chatter" is general light talk; "gossip" is talk about other people’s private lives. Also, "a chatter" is unusual; use "some chatter" or "the chatter."
Sinónimos
chat (Very close in meaning; usually slightly more neutral and may refer to any friendly talk, not necessarily quick or continuous.)
Antónimos
silence (The complete absence of sound or speech, the opposite of lively conversation.)
Colocaciones
background chatter
|office chatter
|friendly chatter
|the chatter of voices
|constant chatter
|idle chatter
Temas
daily life
|communication
|social
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The cheerful chatter in the café made it feel very welcoming.
- I could hear the low chatter of students in the library.
- Their constant chatter during the movie annoyed everyone around them.
- The room was filled with the chatter of family members catching up.
- She tried to study despite the background chatter in the office.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- There was a lot of chatter in the classroom.
- I like the happy chatter in this cafe.
- The teacher asked for quiet because of the loud chatter.
- We heard the soft chatter of people in the next room.
- Their chatter on the train made the trip feel short.
Sustantivo
C1
entity
3
informal talk as information
Informal talk or messages that people watch to learn what others might do, often in news or security reports.
Patrón de uso:
[chatter] about [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners may think this use is always negative. It can be neutral or even positive; it simply refers to the volume and content of informal communication. Also, it usually appears without an article ("intelligence chatter" not "*an intelligence chatter").
Sinónimos
buzz (Informal; suggests excited talk or attention around a topic, especially in entertainment or business.)
Antónimos
radio silence (Used figuratively to mean no communication or information, the opposite of noticeable ongoing chatter.)
Colocaciones
online chatter
|social media chatter
|intelligence chatter
|terrorist chatter
|market chatter
|industry chatter
Temas
media
|technology
|politics
|security
|communication
Ejemplos
- There has been increased online chatter about the new policy.
- Intelligence agencies are monitoring terrorist chatter in the region.
- The sudden drop in market chatter worried some investors.
- Analysts pay close attention to social media chatter before big product launches.
- Police took the threat seriously after picking up worrying chatter on messaging apps.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The news spoke about online chatter before the protest.
- There is a lot of social media chatter about the new phone.
- The company watches internet chatter to see what customers think.
- The government listens to terrorist chatter for signs of danger.
- Before the game, there was much chatter about who would win.
Verbo
B2
action
4
teeth hitting together quickly
When someone’s teeth hit together again and again because they are very cold, afraid, or nervous.
Patrón de uso:
[someone’s] teeth chatter
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say "*my teeth were shaking" instead of "my teeth were chattering." "Chatter" is the natural verb for this specific movement and sound of teeth.
Sinónimos
rattle (Can describe the sound or movement of teeth or objects shaking quickly, but is more general and used for many things, not just teeth.)
Antónimos
stay still (Describes not moving; in this context, teeth that do not shake or hit together at all.)
Colocaciones
teeth chattering
|my teeth were chattering
|so cold my teeth chattered
|chattering with fear
|chattering with cold
Temas
body
|health
|emotions
Ejemplos
- Her teeth chattered as she waited outside in the freezing wind.
- I was so scared that my teeth started to chatter.
- He stood in the rain, teeth chattering with cold.
- The child’s teeth chattered loudly as he stepped out of the icy water.
- My teeth were chattering so much I could hardly speak.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Her teeth chattered because it was very cold.
- I was so afraid that my teeth chattered.
- His teeth chattered when he jumped into the cold pool.
- My teeth were chattering, and I could not talk well.
- The little boy’s teeth chattered in the snow.
Verbo
B2
action
5
make rapid short sounds
To make many short, fast sounds again and again, like some animals or machines do.
Patrón de uso:
[something] chatters
Error frecuente:
Learners may use only "tweet" or "chirp" for animal sounds. "Chatter" often suggests a fast, continuous series of sounds, especially for monkeys and some birds, and can also be used for machines or devices making many quick sounds.
Sinónimos
rattle (Emphasizes a hard, clacking sound from shaking objects; "chatter" often sounds lighter or higher.)
Antónimos
fall silent (Means to stop making any sound, the opposite of producing constant quick sounds.)
Colocaciones
monkeys chattering
|birds chattering
|keyboards chattering
|machine chattering
|chattering in the trees
|the engine chattered
Temas
nature
|sound
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The monkeys chattered loudly in the trees above us.
- I could hear birds chattering outside my bedroom window.
- Old typewriters chattered in the background as the reporters worked.
- The projector chattered quietly as the film played.
- Fans chattered and clicked in the server room all night.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The birds chattered in the garden.
- Monkeys chattered in the trees near the road.
- The small machine chattered on the table.
- I heard insects chattering in the dark.
- Many keyboards chattered in the busy office.
Sustantivo
B2
entity
6
series of rapid short sounds
Many short, fast sounds together, made by animals or machines.
Patrón de uso:
the [chatter] of [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners may use only "noise" or "sound" and miss this more specific word. "Chatter" usually suggests many small, repeated sounds, not one big loud sound.
Sinónimos
clatter (Suggests louder, harder, often metallic sounds; "chatter" can be lighter or higher-pitched.)
Antónimos
quiet (Means very little sound, the opposite of a noticeable series of short sounds.)
Colocaciones
the chatter of birds
|machine-gun chatter
|monkey chatter
|keyboard chatter
|engine chatter
|insect chatter
Temas
nature
|sound
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- We woke to the chatter of birds outside the window.
- The sharp chatter of the machine guns echoed through the valley.
- The forest was alive with the chatter of insects at dusk.
- I like the gentle chatter of keyboards in a busy office.
- The only sound was the distant chatter of a train on the tracks.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The morning started with the chatter of birds.
- We heard the loud chatter of machine guns in the movie.
- The forest was full of insect chatter at night.
- In the office, there was soft chatter of keyboards.
- We listened to the monkey chatter in the zoo.
Sustantivo
technical
C1
entity
7
unwanted vibration in machinery
Unwanted shaking in a machine or tool when it is working, which can make noise and damage the work.
Patrón de uso:
[chatter] in [a machine/tool]
Error frecuente:
Learners may think this is normal "talk" or "noise." In technical contexts, "chatter" here is a specific mechanical problem, not people speaking.
Sinónimos
vibration (More general; "chatter" is a specific type of rapid, problematic vibration in machines or tools.)
Antónimos
smooth operation (Describes a machine working without unwanted vibration or shaking.)
Colocaciones
tool chatter
|machine chatter
|lathe chatter
|milling chatter
|reduce chatter
|eliminate chatter
Temas
technology
|engineering
|industry
|science
|work
Ejemplos
- The engineer adjusted the settings to reduce chatter in the milling machine.
- Excessive tool chatter can ruin the surface of the metal part.
- Operators are trained to listen for chatter and stop the machine if it occurs.
- Using a more rigid setup helped eliminate chatter during the cutting process.
- The report noted increased chatter at higher spindle speeds.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The machine had a problem with chatter during cutting.
- We must reduce chatter to protect the tool.
- Chatter can make the surface of the part bad.
- He changed the settings to stop the chatter in the lathe.
- Too much chatter means the machine is not working well.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
chatter
AFI
GB/t͡ʃˈætɚ/
US/t͡ʃˈætɚ/
Sílabas y acento
chat - ter (2 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (chat)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: chatter
- Plural: chatter
Verb
- Base: chatter
- 3rd Person Singular: chatters
- Present Participle: chattering
- Past: chattered
Familia de palabras
Forms
chatters
verb
chattering
verb
chattered
verb
Core family
chat
verb A2
chatty
adjective
Related words
chatterbox
noun
chattiness
noun
Expresiones
chatter away
1/t͡ʃˈætɚ əwˈeɪ/
fixed phrase
informal
talk happily for a long time
To talk for a long time in a happy, relaxed way, often about small things.
Ejemplos
- The children chattered away in the back seat during the whole drive.
- We sat by the fire and chattered away about old times.
- She chattered away on the phone for nearly an hour.
keep the chatter down
1/kˈip ðə t͡ʃˈætɚ dˈaʊn/
fixed phrase
informal
make people talk less or quieter
To tell people to stop talking so much or to talk more quietly.
Ejemplos
- Can you keep the chatter down? I’m trying to study.
- The teacher asked them to keep the chatter down during the test.
- Please keep the chatter down while the speaker is talking.
teeth chatter
1/tˈiθ t͡ʃˈætɚ/
fixed phrase
teeth hit together from cold
When a person’s teeth hit together again and again because they are very cold, afraid, or nervous.
Ejemplos
- My teeth began to chatter as I waited outside in the snow.
- His teeth chattered so much that he could hardly speak.
- Her teeth were chattering from fear as she walked onto the stage.