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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

bubble en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈbʌbəl/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈbɐbəl/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • (US) audio
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈbəbəl/ (Wales)
  • /ˈbʊbəl/ (Ireland, Northern-England)
  • [ˈbʌbəl] ~ [ˈbʌbl̩] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ˈbʊbəl] ~ [ˈbʊbl̩] (Ireland, Northern-England)
  • [ˈbəbəl] ~ [ˈbəbl̩] (Wales)
  • [ˈbɐ̞bəl] ~ [ˈbɐ̞bl̩] (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

Partly imitative, also influenced by burble. Compare Middle Dutch bobbe (“bubble”) > Dutch bubbel (“bubble”), Low German bubbel (“bubble”), Danish boble (“bubble”), Swedish bubbla (“bubble”). The word was first used in its economic sense in association with the collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720, based on the metaphor of an inflated soap bubble bursting.

Meanings

  1. A spherically contained volume of air or other gas in a liquid, commonly a soapy liquid.
  2. A small spherical cavity in a solid material.
    • bubbles in window glass, or in a lens
  3. (broadly) Anything resembling a hollow sphere.
  4. (figuratively) Anything lacking firmness or solidity; a cheat or fraud; an empty project.
    • Then a soldier […] / Seeking the bubble reputation / Even in the cannon's mouth c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:
  5. A period of intense speculation in a market, causing prices to rise quickly to irrational levels as the metaphorical bubble expands, and then fall even more quickly as the bubble bursts.
    • The yawning gap between data-center expenditures and the rest of the economy has caused whispers of bubble to rise to a chorus. […] Rapid construction of canals, railroads, and the fiber-optic cables laid during the dot-com bubble all created frenzies of hype, investment, and financial speculation that crashed markets. 2025 October 30, Matteo Wong, Charlie Warzel, “Here’s How the AI Crash Happens”, in The Atlantic:
    • real estate bubble
    • dot-com bubble
    • Thanks to the proliferation of semiconductor chips and cell phones—the number of U.S. cell phones grew from essentially zero in 1983 to nearly two hundred million by the end of 2004, and as of 2003 over one billion cell phones were in use worldwide, so by the time the high-tech bubble approached its bursting point in 2000 and 2001, coltan had become an extremely hot commodity. 2007, Elizabeth Grossman, High Tech Trash, Island Press, →ISBN, page 46:
  6. (figuratively) The emotional or physical atmosphere in which a subject is immersed; especially, a homogeneous atmosphere in which subjects are spared exposure to culture or ideas different from their own.
    • "We know we're in a bubble," said one Villager interviewed for the film. "But it's a nice bubble". 2022 February 6, Benedict Brook, “Dark side of paradise: 'Sinister' cracks show in perfect suburb”, in NZ Herald:
    • He’s wrapped up snugly in a cozy bubble of self-regard, talking for his own sake more than anyone else’s. 2012 June 3, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Mr. Plow” (season 4, episode 9; originally aired 11/19/1992)”, in The A.V. Club:
    • Do you live in a bubble? There exists a new upper class that's completely disconnected from the average white American and American culture at large, argues Charles Murray, a libertarian political scientist and author. 2016 March 24, “Do you live in a bubble? A quiz”, in PBS News:
    • Citizens of all political persuasions (not to mention members of the Trump administration) can increasingly live in their own news media bubbles, consuming only views similar to their own. 2017 March 21, Michiko Kakutani, “‘The Death of Expertise’ Explores How Ignorance Became a Virtue”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
    • Inside the right-wing Facebook bubble, President Trump’s response to Covid-19 has been strong and effective, Joe Biden is barely capable of forming sentences, and Black Lives Matter is a dangerous group of violent looters. 2020 August 27, Kevin Roose, “What if Facebook Is the Real ‘Silent Majority’?”, in New York Times:
    • Thomas, so often West Brom's most positive attacker down their left side and up against Salgado, twice almost burst the bubble of excitement around the ground but he had two efforts superbly saved by Robinson. 2011 January 23, Alistair Magowan, “Blackburn 2 - 0 West Brom”, in BBC:
  7. An officer's station in a prison dormitory, affording views on all sides.
    • Later that day, the unit was staffed with only one officer, who was required to stay in the bubble. 1998, District of Columbia Appropriations for 1998: Hearings:
  8. (obsolete) Someone who has been ‘bubbled’ or fooled; a dupe.
    • Gany's a cheat, and I'm a bubble. 1709, Matthew Prior, Cupid and Ganymede:
    • For no woman, sure, will plead the passion of love for an excuse. This would be to own herself the mere tool and bubble of the man. 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society, published 1979, page 15:
  9. A small, hollow, floating bead or globe, formerly used for testing the strength of spirits.
  10. The globule of air in the chamber of a spirit level.
  11. (Cockney, slang) A laugh.
    • Are you having a bubble?!
  12. (Cockney, slang) A Greek.
  13. (historical) Any of the small magnetized areas that make up bubble memory.
  14. In a poker tournament, the point before which eliminated players receive no prize money and after which they do; the situation where all remaining players are guaranteed prize money (in this case, the players are said to have made the bubble); the situation where all remaining players will be guaranteed prize money after some small number of players are eliminated (in this case, the players are said to be on the bubble).
    • Many players tend to play timidly (not play many hands) around the bubble, to keep their chips and last longer in the game.
  15. The cutoff point between qualifying, advancing or being invited to a tournament, or having one's competition end.
    • bubble watch
  16. (qualifier:chiefly COVID-19 pandemic) A quarantine environment containing multiple people or facilities isolated from the rest of society.
    • "There was an empty room and this is my house," Mark Philip told the Herald. "Where am I supposed to go? Whose bubble am I supposed to infect?" 2020 April 7, “Covid 19 coronavirus: Police called after Mt Eden landlord tries to move into flat during lockdown”, in New Zealand Herald:
  17. The people who are in this quarantine.
  18. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of travel bubble.
  19. (slang) A bulb or lamp; the part of a lighting assembly that actually produces the light.
    • A bare lamp (bulb, globe, 'bubble') radiates light in all directions. 2013, Gerald Millerson, Lighting for TV and Film, page 296:
  20. (qualifier:drug paraphernalia) A specialized glass pipe having a sphere-shaped apparatus at one end.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
bubbles Number=Plur lexicographic

Antonyms

antibubble

Deriveds

air bubble · microbubble · housing bubble · bubblicious · debubblizer · bubble team · bubble pack · bubble dance · bubbleheaded · bubblement · bubblelike · overbubble · bubblization · postbubble · bubble chamber · bubble water · bubble sort · thought bubble · bubble-brained · bubble of nothing · bubble romper · bubble tap · support bubble · bubble and squeak · soap bubble · bubble bath · bubble baby syndrome · down bubble · nanobubble · bubble company · bubblegum · bubble guts · bubble mailer · bubble tea · macrobubble · abubble · bubble zone · bubble boy · bubblesome · hubble-bubble · stock bubble · bubble-wrap · bubble baby disease · Internet bubble · minibubble · bubble era · bubble wrap · information technology bubble · bubble snail · bubble dancer · bubbletop · bubble gum · bubble fusion · Local Bubble · bubble-pink · bubble level · bubblet · bubble pipe · land bubble · word bubble · dot-com bubble · filter bubble · bubble position · bubble perm · bubbleable · bubble-head · burst someone's bubble · Westminster bubble · bubblejet · bubble car · bubble gut · up bubble · warp bubble · bubble shell · upbubble · lose the bubble · bubble envelope · bubbly · bubble sheet · bubble letter · bubble ass · anger bubble · speech bubble · bubble brain · tele bubble · bubble waffle · bubblehead · bubbler · Mississippi Bubble · bubble under · rebubble · bubble-up · bubble boy disease · bubblish · hubble bubble · double bubble · prebubble · bubble butt · antibubble · energy bubble · on the bubble · bubbleless · bubble-gum · bubble boy syndrome · double bubble conjecture · green bubble · stone bubble · superbubble · bubble ring · flight bubble · bubble cake · lawn bubble · double bubble mint · vacuum bubble · blue bubble · in a bubble · bubble wand · bubble switch · Fermi bubble · bubble blower · anti-bubble

Synonyms

giraffe · circumstances · bubble bath · bubble and squeak · ambience · bull

Translations (227)

id buih (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · af borrel (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · th ฟอง (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · hu buborék (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · vi bong bóng (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · lv burbulis (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ml കുമിള (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · de Blase (small spherical cavity in a solid) · io bulo (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ro bășică (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ug ماغزاپ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · el φυσαλίδα (small spherical cavity in a solid) · nl bel (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · gu બબલ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · gl burbulla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sh mjehùrić (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ar فُقَّاعَة (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sv bubbla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · is kúla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · crh köpük (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ckb بڵق (small spherical cavity in a solid) · fi kupla (globule of air in the spirit tube of a level) · hu lufi (period of intense speculation in a market) · cmn 氣泡 /气泡 (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · uk бу́льбашка (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · ro bulă (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · oc botiòla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · lb Blos (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · eo bobelo (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · tk köpürjik (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · mn хөөс (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · rm vaschia (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · oc bodenfla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · scn mpuḍḍa (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · my ပူဖောင်း (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · te బుడగ (small spherical cavity in a solid) · rw ku-zīkuruka (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · bg меху́р (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · da boble (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sh меху̀рић (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ru пузырёк (small spherical cavity in a solid) · pt borbulha (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fa-ira غُنْچاب (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ur بَبُولا (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · be пузы́р (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · de Blase (period of intense speculation in a market) · koi боль (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ast boya (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · el φυσαλίδα (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · hi बुलबुला (small spherical cavity in a solid) · ga bolgán (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · bg меху́рче (small spherical cavity in a solid) · mwl sarta (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sq flluskë (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · rm scufla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ja 泡 (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sk bublina (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ky көбүк (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · hi बुदबुदा (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · cmn 泡沫 (period of intense speculation in a market) · so xumbo (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sl mehurček (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · el φούσκα (period of intense speculation in a market) · nl bel (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · kk көбік (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ia bulla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · hy պղպջակ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · lt bur̃bulas (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · es burbuja (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · te బుడగ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fi kupla (emotional and/or physical atmosphere) · es pompa (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sco blab (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · nl bel (small spherical cavity in a solid) · br lagadenn (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · eu burbuila (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · pl bańka (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · de Blase (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · es burbuja (period of intense speculation in a market) · uk бу́льбашка (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fr ambiance (emotional and/or physical atmosphere) · co bolla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fo bløðra (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · es campanilla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ka ბუშტი (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · te బుడ్డ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fa-ira حُباب (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · mk меурче (small spherical cavity in a solid) · ba ҡыуыҡ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ur بُلْبُلا (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · alt кӧбӱк (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · dv ބޮކި (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · hi बुलबुला (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ca bombolla (small spherical cavity in a solid) · ps حباب (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · mt bużżieqa (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ug كۆپۈك (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ru пузы́рь (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · gl gurgulla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · mn хий (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sv såpbubbla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ko 거품 (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · km ពងទឹក (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ay pukulli (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · mk меур (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · tl kulo (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ga boilgeog (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · te బుడగ (period of intense speculation in a market) · fr bulle (period of intense speculation in a market) · tg ҳубоб (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ny nthibwinthibwi (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fi kupla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · tg пуфак (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ha kumfa (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fur bùfule (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · gd builgean (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fr bulle (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · cs bublina (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · oc bofiga (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fi kupla (small spherical cavity in a solid) · pt bolha (period of intense speculation in a market) · fa-ira غوزِه (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sv bubbla (period of intense speculation in a market) · kmr billq (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ru пузырёк (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · si බුබුළු (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · tfn setlʼ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ca bombolla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · el φούσκα (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · wa bouye (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ca bombolla (period of intense speculation in a market) · ckb بڵق (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · hi बबूला (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · vo bulil (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · la bulla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · kk көпіршік (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · el φυσαλίδα (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · tt куык (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ca bombolla (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · cmn 泡 (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · be бу́рбалка (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ru пузы́рь (period of intense speculation in a market) · mk меур (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · uz koʻpik (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sc bùlla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · an bambolla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ur پَھپھولا (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · or ବୁଦ୍ ବୁଦ୍ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sa बुद्बुद (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · eo veziko (period of intense speculation in a market) · os къуыпсы (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ja バブル (period of intense speculation in a market) · uk бу́лька (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ckb بڵق (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · te బుడగ (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · gl burbulla (period of intense speculation in a market) · pt bolha (small spherical cavity in a solid) · vec bóła (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sd بدبدو (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fi kupla (period of intense speculation in a market) · cy bwrlwm (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ms tempurung (emotional and/or physical atmosphere) · pdt Blos (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · uz pufak (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ja 水膨れ (period of intense speculation in a market) · fa-ira کوپْلِه (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ast burbuya (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · os таппуз (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · bg меху́р (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · pa ਬੁਲਬੁਲਾ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · pa ਭੂਪੜਾ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · pt bolha (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · pl bąbel (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fa-ira آبْسَوار (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · mr बुडबुडा (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · de Blase (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · as বুৰবুৰণি (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · yi בלאָז (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · uk пузи́р (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · nl bel (period of intense speculation in a market) · he בּוּעָה (period of intense speculation in a market) · ast bomba (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · pt bolha (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · mi mirumiru (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · rw gu-sebura (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ur بُلّا (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · kn ಮರಳು (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · az köpük (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · cmn 泡沫 (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · cy yswigen (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ru пузы́рь (emotional and/or physical atmosphere) · hi बुल्ला (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fi kupla (anything resembling a hollow sphere) · acw فُقَّاعَة (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fr vent (anything lacking firmness or solidity) · ru пузы́рь (small spherical cavity in a solid) · he בּוּעָה (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fi kupla (anything lacking firmness or solidity) · haw huʻa (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ru пузы́рь (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · lo ຟອງ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ta குமிழி (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · af bel (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · tfn tsʼeqʼ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ne बबल (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · sh mehùrić (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ast pómpara (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · grc πομφόλυξ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · tr köpük (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · am አረፋ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · fr trou (small spherical cavity in a solid) · it bolla (period of intense speculation in a market) · sh мјеху̀рић (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · hi फफोला (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ko 포말경기 (period of intense speculation in a market) · bn বুদ্বুদ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · et mull (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ro balon (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · tl bula (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · bo ལྦུ་བ (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · ms buih (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · bg меху́рче (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · arz بقبيقة (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · be бу́лбатка (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · cs bublina (period of intense speculation in a market) · it bolla (spherically contained volume of air or other gas) · pl bańka (period of intense speculation in a market)

wikipedia: South Sea Company

bubble en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /ˈbʌbəl/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈbɐbəl/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
  • (US) audio
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈbəbəl/ (Wales)
  • /ˈbʊbəl/ (Ireland, Northern-England)
  • [ˈbʌbəl] ~ [ˈbʌbl̩] (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ˈbʊbəl] ~ [ˈbʊbl̩] (Ireland, Northern-England)
  • [ˈbəbəl] ~ [ˈbəbl̩] (Wales)
  • [ˈbɐ̞bəl] ~ [ˈbɐ̞bl̩] (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

Partly imitative, also influenced by burble. Compare Middle Dutch bobbe (“bubble”) > Dutch bubbel (“bubble”), Low German bubbel (“bubble”), Danish boble (“bubble”), Swedish bubbla (“bubble”). The word was first used in its economic sense in association with the collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720, based on the metaphor of an inflated soap bubble bursting.

Meanings

  1. (intransitive) To produce bubbles, to rise up in bubbles (such as in foods cooking or liquids boiling).
    • The laminate is bubbling.
  2. (figuratively, intransitive) To churn or foment, as if wishing to rise to the surface.
    • With some technical improvement, I could see how the process of imitating my work would soon become fast and streamlined, and the many dark potentials bubbled to the forefront of my mind. 2022 December 31, Sarah Andersen, “The Alt-Right Manipulated My Comic. Then A.I. Claimed It.”, in The New York Times:
    • The blood bubbled up to her brain, and made such a sound there, as of boiling waters, that she did not hear the words which Mr. Bradshaw first spoke […] 1853, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, Ruth:
    • Rage bubbled inside him.
  3. (figuratively, intransitive) To rise through a medium or system, similar to the way that bubbles rise in liquid.
    • The target of this event is the most deeply nested common ancestor of all changes that occurred in the document, and it bubbles up the document tree […] 2002, David Flanagan, JavaScript: the definitive guide:
  4. (obsolete, rare, transitive) To cover or spread with bubbles
  5. (archaic, rare, transitive) To delude, dupe, or hoodwink; to cheat.
    • He tells me with great passion that she has bubbled him out of his youth; that she drilled him on to five and fifty [years old], and that he verily believes she will drop him in his old age, if she can find her account in another. 1711 June 12, Joseph Addison, The Spectator, number 89; republished in The Works of Joseph Addison, volume 1, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1842, page 142:
    • No, no, friend, I shall never be bubbled out of my religion in hopes only of keeping my place under another government […] 1749, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, Folio Society, published 1973, page 443:
    • I need not tell your Worships, that this was done with so much cunning and artifice, —that the great Locke, who was seldom outwitted by false sounds, was nevertheless bubbled here. 1759, Laurence Sterne, Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman:
  6. (Northern-England, Scotland, intransitive) To cry, weep.
  7. (transitive) To pat a baby on the back so as to cause it to belch.
    • Groggily her mind went back through the long hours to 10 P.M. She had fed Junior, bubbled him, diped him—according to plan. 1942, McCall’s, volume 69, page 94:
    • Mother sat up, picked up baby, put him on shoulder, bubbled him. 1958, David Mordecai Levy, Behavioral analysis: analysis of clinical observations of behavior as applied to mother-newborn relationships, page 358:
    • I walked him, pushed him, pulled him, and “bubbled” him, drawing the line at changing him, and found that the ability to bring actual happiness to another being’s face, even such a small red one, simply by walking into the room, made me feel ten feet tall. 1957, Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Be My Guest, page 52:
  8. (transitive) To cause to feel as if bubbling or churning.
    • It seemed to Adam that he felt the blood in his toes creeping up his legs and body until it reached his brain where, finding it could go no farther, it bubbled him into dumbness: it added to his confusion to know that he looked as if some such accident had befallen his circulation. 1922, Conal O’Riordan, In London: The Story of Adam and Marriage, page 164:
    • A few minutes more would give him his first glimpse of the village wherein, many months before, he had left his wife and little ones. Anticipation bubbled him into song, and he broke forth into—A la claire fontaine M’en allant promener. 1973, Henry Cecil Walsh, Bonhomme: French-Canadian Stories and Sketches, page 9:
    • The frothing sensation bubbled him all over, a boiling without heat or any sound or light. 2011, Tim O’Brien, Northern Lights, page 201:
  9. (transitive) To express in a bubbly or lively manner.
    • But Ms. Loomat, far from a negative reaction, bubbled her joy at the news even congratulating Ms Lee on her acquisition. 2012, Andre Paul Goddard, The Blue Basin, page 414:
    • “She’s a little girl like me,” Beth bubbled. “Her name is Buttons, ’cause she has a small nose. And she has a twin, too, just like me. Only my twin’s name is Carly.” 1999, Mollie Molay, Daddy by Christmas, page 106:
    • Rachel bubbled her thanks and brushed past the Reverend, me in tow. 2008, Douglas Allen Rhodes, Sex and Murder, page 55:
    • Mrs. Hinds beamed at Ipsie through pince-nez and bubbled her joy through thin lips, but Ipsie made no reply. 1924, Stella Benson, Pipers and a Dancer, page 14:
    • Delighted with this promenade, little Edith bubbled her joy without cessation. 1934, Inez Haynes Gillmore, Strange Harvest, page 417:
  10. (transitive) To form into a protruding round shape.
    • She hasn’t bubbled her lips yet, has she? 1978, Poul Anderson, The Night Face and Other Stories, page 159:
    • She bubbled her lips at Junior and wrinkled her eyes. 1929, The Saturday Evening Post, volume 201, page 50:
    • I didn’t see much connection between the Bunnies and Michelle—something bubbled her blouses, and I’d heard her whisper with my sister about training bras, but her body was angular, skinny. 2005, Tracy Daugherty, Late in the Standoff: Stories and a Novella, page 17:
  11. (transitive) To cover with bubbles.
    • Oily beads of sweat bubbled his forehead. 2007, Jason Blacker, Black Dog Bleeding, page 8:
    • Her mouth hung slightly open and water droplets bubbled her forehead, like oversized sweat. 1994, Jonathan Kellerman, Bad Love, page 57:
    • Tears of thanksgiving bubbled her eyes and blurred her vision. 2005, Syne Mitchell, End in Fire, page 187:
  12. (transitive) To bubble in; to mark a response on a form by filling in a circular area (‘bubble’).
    • They bubbled her answers on Scantron tests, changed her sanitary napkins, helped her get in and out of the bathroom with a minimum of fuss. 2014, Cammie McGovern, Say What You Will:
    • You don’t want to go back and forth between the test booklet and your answer sheet to bubble your answers. 2019, Crash Course for the ACT, 6th Edition: Your Last-Minute Guide to Scoring High, page 15:
    • Cross out answers as you eliminate them, and practice bubbling your answers on the sheet provided at the very end of the book. 2011, Allison Amend, Adam Robinson, Cracking the SAT.: Literature Subject Test, page 126:
  13. To apply a filter bubble, as to search results.
  14. (intransitive) To join together in a support bubble
  15. (UK, slang, transitive) To grass (report criminal activity to the authorities).

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
bubbled Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
bubbled Tense=Past lexicographic
bubbling Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
bubbles Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Deriveds

bubble up · bubble in · bubble over · bubble under

Translations (41)

nmn tsàhã (to rise up in bubbles) · lv burbuļot (to rise up in bubbles) · ota كوپورمك (to rise up in bubbles) · es burbujear (to rise up in bubbles) · gl burbullar (to rise up in bubbles) · fi kuplia (to rise up in bubbles) · ja 泡立つ (to rise up in bubbles) · ckb بڵق کردن (to rise up in bubbles) · hu bugyborékol (to rise up in bubbles) · bg кипя (to rise up in bubbles) · io ebulieskar (to rise up in bubbles) · fj kere (to rise up in bubbles) · grc παφλάζω (to rise up in bubbles) · km បែកពពុះ (to rise up in bubbles) · ca bombollejar (to rise up in bubbles) · hu buborékol (to rise up in bubbles) · de blubbern (to rise up in bubbles) · eo bobeli (to rise up in bubbles) · af borrel (to rise up in bubbles) · el χοχλάζω (to rise up in bubbles) · pt borbulhar (to rise up in bubbles) · ko 부글거리다 (to rise up in bubbles) · grc πομφολύζω (to rise up in bubbles) · et mulisema (to rise up in bubbles) · bg клокоча (to rise up in bubbles) · ota پوسكورمك (to rise up in bubbles) · gd builg (to rise up in bubbles) · vi sủi (to rise up in bubbles) · io ebuliar (to rise up in bubbles) · fi poreilla (to rise up in bubbles) · fj bue (to rise up in bubbles) · sv bubbla (to rise up in bubbles) · la bulliō (to rise up in bubbles) · ckb بڵقەبڵق کردن (to rise up in bubbles) · he פעפוע (to rise up in bubbles) · sq vlo (to rise up in bubbles) · fi porista (to rise up in bubbles) · fr bouillonner (to rise up in bubbles) · cy byrlymu (to rise up in bubbles) · da boble (to rise up in bubbles) · tyz búng bính (to rise up in bubbles)

wikipedia: South Sea Company