burble

Burble is a term in English that functions as both a noun and a verb. It describes a soft, bubbling, murmuring sound, or a continuous, low-pitched noise that resembles bubbling. The word is onomatopoeic, imitating the sound it represents, and is often used to evoke gentler noises such as streams, small fountains, or kettles.

In automotive and engine-related contexts, burble refers to a distinctive sequence of pops and crackles heard from exhausts, especially during deceleration or in engines with certain tunings. This audible burbling can result from unburnt fuel igniting in the exhaust system and is sometimes intentionally engineered or marketed as a feature in performance cars.

In everyday language, burble can describe rapid, low-level sounds produced by liquids. For example, water or coffee bubbling can be described as a burble, as can the soft murmur of a crowd or the background hum of electronics.

In literature, the word is used metaphorically to convey a sense of ongoing, gentle chatter—“the burble of voices.” It sits near synonyms such as babble, gurgle, and murmur, though burble often implies a more subdued, continuous sound rather than a loud or abrupt one.

Etymology generally traces burble to the onomatopoeic impulse to imitate bubbling noises and is related to bubble and babble. It is widely used in informal speech and specialized jargon across several domains.