gurgle
B2Neutral to informal. Most common in descriptive and everyday contexts.
Definition
Meaning
To make a low, bubbling sound like water flowing or gas through a liquid.
To make or speak with a happy, throaty, bubbling sound (often of a baby); to flow with a similar bubbling sound.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily an onomatopoeic verb and noun. Conveys sound and often movement (of liquid). Associated with positive or neutral contexts (babies, streams), though can describe unpleasant digestive sounds.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. The word is used identically in both varieties. Spelling is the same.
Connotations
Identical. Both associate it with babies, water, and stomach sounds.
Frequency
Equally common in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[V] (intransitive)[V + adv/prep][V speech] (with direct speech)[V that] (rare)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “No common idioms specifically with 'gurgle'.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Rare, except in specific descriptive contexts (e.g., hydrology, pediatrics).
Everyday
Common for describing baby sounds, digestive noises, and water in drains or streams.
Technical
Possible in medical contexts (bowel sounds) or plumbing descriptions.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The drain began to gurgle unpleasantly after the storm.
- The baby gurgled happily in her pram.
American English
- My stomach gurgled loudly during the quiet meeting.
- The coffee pot gurgled on the stove.
adverb
British English
- The water ran gurglingly from the tap. (Very rare, marked as non-standard/poetic)
- No standard adverbial form in common use.
American English
- No standard adverbial form in common use.
adjective
British English
- The gurgling stream was a peaceful sight.
- He heard a gurgling noise from the pipes.
American English
- The gurgling baby captivated everyone.
- We listened to the gurgling sound of the fountain.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The baby gurgles.
- Water gurgles in the pipe.
- I could hear the stream gurgling over the rocks.
- His stomach gurgled because he was hungry.
- She gave a contented gurgle of laughter.
- The last of the bathwater gurgled down the plughole.
- The politician's speech was met with a gurgle of derisive laughter from the audience.
- An ominous gurgling in the engine preceded a complete loss of power.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
The word itself sounds like its meaning: GUR-GLE mimics the throaty, bubbling noise.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOUND IS LIQUID / HAPPINESS IS A BUBBLING LIQUID (e.g., 'She gurgled with delight').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводить как "горло" или "горловой" (это "throat").
- Не всегда означает "булькать" в негативном смысле (как при полоскании). Для русского "булькать" иногда имеет оттенок неумелого действия, а английское "gurgle" — нейтральное описание звука.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'The river gurgled loudly down the mountain.' (Possible but 'roared' or 'rushed' is better for loud). Correct: 'The stream gurgled softly.'
- Using as a transitive verb: 'He gurgled the water.' (Incorrect). Correct: 'The water gurgled in the bottle.'
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'gurgle' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it's most common for liquids (water, stomach acid) but is the standard verb for the happy, bubbly sounds made by babies.
Yes, but only to describe speech that has a low, throaty, bubbling quality, often due to liquid or strong emotion (e.g., 'He gurgled his last words.').
'Bubble' focuses more on the visual formation of spheres of gas. 'Gurgle' focuses almost exclusively on the characteristic low, irregular bubbling SOUND and the movement that produces it.
It is context-dependent. With babies and streams, it's positive/peaceful. With drains, stomachs, or dying characters, it can be negative or ominous.