Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

blubber

/ˈblʌbəɹ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.53 in modern English

Syllables
blub-ber
IPA
/ˈblʌbəɹ/
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Often followed by out: to cry out (words) while sobbing.

Transitive verb

verb

To wet (one's eyes or face) by crying; to beweep; also, to cause (one's face) to disfigure or swell through crying.

Archaic; Transitive verb

verb

Often followed by forth: to let (one's tears) flow freely.

Obsolete; Transitive verb

verb

To cry or weep freely and noisily; to sob.

Derogatory; Intransitive verb

verb

To bubble or bubble up; also, to make a bubbling sound like water boiling.

Intransitive verb; Obsolete

noun

A fatty layer of adipose tissue found immediately beneath the epidermis of whales and other cetaceans (infraorder Cetacea).

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A fatty layer of adipose tissue found immediately beneath the epidermis of whales and other cetaceans (infraorder Cetacea).

Derogatory; Informal; Offensive; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

The verb is derived from Late Middle English bloberen, bluberen (“to bubble, seethe”); and the noun from Late Middle English blober, bluber (“bubble; bubbling water; foaming waves; fish or whale oil; entrails, intestines; (medicine) pustule”), both probably onomatopoeic, representing the movement or sound of a bubbling liquid, or the movement of lips forming bubbles (compare bleb and blob, thought to be similarly imitative). As both the verb and noun are attested in the 14th century, it is difficult to tell which one developed first; the Oxford English Dictionary suggests that the noun may be derived from the verb. Verb etymology 1, verb sense 1.2 (“to cause (one’s face) to disfigure or swell through crying”) is influenced by blubber (adjective).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈblʌbəɹ/
  • British English: /ˈblʌbə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce blubber?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈblʌbəɹ/.
What does blubber mean?
Often followed by out: to cry out (words) while sobbing.
Where does blubber come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce blubber

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “blubber”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈblʌbəɹ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “blubber”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “blubber” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.