blah-blah-blah: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Informal, colloquial
Quick answer
What does “blah-blah-blah” mean?
Used to represent tedious, predictable, or meaningless talk.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Used to represent tedious, predictable, or meaningless talk; used to skip over or dismiss details of speech.
Can represent generic, boring, or excessively lengthy discourse. Often conveys impatience, boredom, or dismissal of what is being said.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is essentially identical in both varieties. Perhaps slightly more established and casually used in American English.
Connotations
Identical connotations of boredom, dismissal, and triviality.
Frequency
Common in both varieties. The triple form (blah-blah-blah) is less frequent than the double (blah blah), but carries the same meaning.
Grammar
How to Use “blah-blah-blah” in a Sentence
[Speaker] talked about [topic] and blah-blah-blah.He gave a long speech – promises, commitments, blah-blah-blah.It was just management jargon, buzzwords, blah-blah-blah.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “blah-blah-blah” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He just blah-blah-blahed for twenty minutes about the new health and safety protocols.
American English
- She blah-blah-blahed through the entire presentation without saying anything concrete.
adjective
British English
- It was a very blah-blah-blah corporate video, full of empty slogans.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used dismissively to refer to corporate jargon, mission statements, or lengthy meetings.
Academic
Rarely used in formal writing. Might appear in informal speech to mock overly complex or pretentious academic language.
Everyday
Common in conversation to summarize boring gossip, long-winded explanations, or predictable opinions.
Technical
Not used in technical documentation. Could be used orally to dismiss irrelevant details.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “blah-blah-blah”
- Using it in formal writing.
- Overusing it, which can sound juvenile or overly dismissive.
- Confusing it with the adjective 'blah' meaning 'dull'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically two or three times. 'Blah blah' and 'blah-blah-blah' are the most common. The meaning is the same.
Only in very informal writing like texts, chats, emails to friends, or in fictional dialogue to convey a character's tone.
They are near synonyms. 'Yada yada' (popularized by the TV show Seinfeld) often implies skipping over details, while 'blah-blah-blah' more strongly implies the details are boring or meaningless.
It can be, as it dismisses what someone said as unimportant or boring. It's best used among friends or in situations where a critical, informal tone is acceptable.
Used to represent tedious, predictable, or meaningless talk.
Blah-blah-blah is usually informal, colloquial in register.
Blah-blah-blah: in British English it is pronounced /ˌblɑː ˌblɑː ˈblɑː/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌblɑ ˌblɑ ˈblɑ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “All the usual blah-blah-blah.”
- “Cut the blah-blah-blah and get to the point.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a person's mouth moving "blah-blah-blah" like in a cartoon, with the sound conveying that the words have no real meaning.
Conceptual Metaphor
SPEECH IS AN ANNOYING/MEANINGLESS NOISE.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would 'blah-blah-blah' be LEAST appropriate?