Meaning & use
chatterbox
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Meaning
nouncountable
A person, especially a child, who talks a lot, often about unimportant things.
Grammar: Countable noun; used mainly in informal speech, often affectionately.
Patterns
- a chatterbox
- such a chatterbox
- little chatterbox
My little sister is a real chatterbox—she never stops talking.
He's such a chatterbox that the teacher often has to ask him to be quiet.
At the party, the children were chatterboxes, excitedly telling everyone about their day.
Word forms
| plural | chatterboxes |
|---|
Common combinations
- a real chatterbox
- She's a real chatterbox once she gets to know you.
- such a chatterbox
- You're such a chatterbox this morning!
- little chatterbox
- Our little chatterbox can talk for hours.
- turn into a chatterbox
- Give him a topic he loves and he turns into a chatterbox.
Synonyms and how they differ
- talker
- Neutral and general; it does not suggest talking too much or about trivial things.
- gossip
- Focuses on talking about other people's private lives, often unkindly, rather than just talking a lot.
- motormouth
- Informal and more critical; it suggests someone who talks fast and without stopping.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: chatterbox or chatter?
chatterbox vs chatter
Chatter is the act or sound of talking, while a chatterbox is the person who talks.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'chatterbox' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Chatterbox' is a countable noun for a person who talks a lot, so 'He is a chatterbox' is correct. Option A uses it for the sound of birds (that's 'chatter'), option C uses it as a verb (which it is not), and option D describes a machine (that's 'chatter').
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chatterbox”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.