plural bubbles
1
: a small globule that is typically hollow and light: such as
a
: a small body of gas within a liquid
air bubbles in the water
bubbles rising in champagne
b
: a thin film of liquid inflated with air or gas
soap bubbles
c
: a globule in a transparent solid
… the bubbles and blisters typical of 19th century glass.—
Packaging Magazine
Packaging Magazine
d
: something (such as a plastic or inflatable structure) that is hemispherical or semicylindrical
With the ground apt to warm up to 110 degrees or so, and a greenhouse effect inside the glass bubble of the cockpit, … the pilot has to endure temperatures that may exceed 120 degrees.—Laurence Gonzales
Laurence Gonzales2
a
: something that lacks firmness, solidity, or reality
A dream of what thou wast … a breath, a bubble …—William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
b
: a delusive or fraudulent scheme or undertaking
—often used in the capitalized names of specific bubbles
At about the same time as the South Sea episode, France was going through a financial lunacy of its own, the so-called Mississippi Bubble. Stocks in a fanciful scheme for developing the Louisiana wilderness rose so rapidly that, in 1719, an investment of a few thousand livres yielded millions in a matter of weeks.—Kevin Jackson
Kevin Jackson3
: a sound of or like that of bubbling or gurgling liquid
bubbles of laughter
The pauses in the dull beating of the surf were filled up by … the cold faint bubble of the brook over its stony bed.—Wilkie Collins
Wilkie Collins4
5
: a state of booming economic activity (as in a stock market) that often ends in a sudden collapse
With Wall Street otherwise limping along, the health-care industry is making investment bankers feel better than they have since the tech bubble burst.—Linda Stern
Linda Stern… the housing bubble, which allowed working-class and middle-class families to raise their standard of living despite income stagnation or downward job mobility.—Don Peck
Don Peck6
: the condition of being at risk of exclusion or replacement (as from a tournament)
—usually used in the phrase on the bubble
teams still on the bubble for the playoffs
7
a
: an enclosed or isolated sphere of experience or activity in which the like-minded members of a homogeneous community support and reinforce their shared opinions
the liberal/conservative bubble
Countless people … complain that Facebook employees are increasingly living in a bubble.—Nick Bilton
Nick Bilton
b
: a usually small group of people (such as family members, friends, coworkers, or classmates) who regularly interact closely with one another but with few or no others in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection during an outbreak of a contagious disease : pod entry 3 sense 2
A quarantine bubble is a group of individuals or families whose members have been safely quarantining and who can now start hanging out with other observant groups, so long as the families observe safety guidelines and agree to be exclusive.—Jennifer Weiner
Jennifer WeinerIf students suspect that they have the virus or test positive, they will move into a separate isolation housing complex, and university officials will trace their contacts. After the second round of testing, students will be expected to remain in designated cohorts or social bubbles, limiting contact with others.—Danielle Echeverria
Danielle Echeverria
c
: an area within which sports teams stay isolated from the general public during a series of scheduled games so as to prevent exposure to disease and that includes accommodations, amenities, and the location at which the games are held
In the days leading up to the NBA's Florida reboot, New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick contemplated what provisions to bring for a stay in the Orlando bubble that would last at least five weeks. He initially focused only on the necessities and packed light. Then on July 8, once he arrived with the Pelicans at their appointed hotel, the Yacht Club, Redick gauged his room and hotel amenities.—Baxter Holmes
Baxter HolmesThe NHL "bubble" consists of limited areas in two hub cities—Edmonton and Toronto—where team personnel will be required to remain as the league tries to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Each club is taking up one floor in a designated hotel. Other access areas include arenas, practice facilities, dining destinations (hotel restaurants and bars, and conference areas where food is brought in) and "other demarcated areas (indoor and outdoor)," according to the league's Phase 4 protocols.—Tom Gatto
Tom Gatto
d
: a series of scheduled games that is played between sports teams staying in a bubble
Oklahoma City … has already clinched a playoff spot and is 3-3 in the bubble.—Reuters
Reuters
bubbled; bubbling
ˈbə-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: to form or produce bubbles
b
: to rise in or as if in bubbles
—usually used with up
2
: to flow with a gurgling sound
a brook bubbling over rocks
3
a
: to become lively or effervescent
bubbling with good humor
b
: to speak in a lively and fluent manner
Phrases
burst someone's bubble
informal
: to cause someone to suddenly realize that something believed, trusted, or admired is not really true, good, etc.
I hate to burst your bubble high school seniors, but, for most of you, the dreaded cafeteria food isn't going to get any better.—Sarah Tarr
Sarah TarrSynonyms
Examples of bubble in a Sentence
Noun
They saw air bubbles in the water.
There were bubbles in the ice.
The Internet stock bubble finally burst.
Verb
the soapy water bubbled down the drain
Recent Examples on the Web
Angela Haupt, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
But the addition of new features to free tiers of existing AI products also indicates some sign of a bubble.
—Sajal Singh, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2024
Whenever speculation about Sassaman bubbles periodically to the surface, the spotlight is thrown on his widow, software developer Meredith Patterson, who believes the theory is unfounded.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bubble 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Instead, try to soothe yourself back to sleep by visualizing something calming, like leaves floating down a stream or bubbles blowing through the air on a summer day.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
But the addition of new features to free tiers of existing AI products also indicates some sign of a bubble.
—Sajal Singh, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Scrubbing Bubbles: While it's intended as a bathroom cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles has proven to be an effective way to clean fireplace brick, as its bubbling cleaning properties pull the grime off the brick.
—Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2024
Whenever speculation about Sassaman bubbles periodically to the surface, the spotlight is thrown on his widow, software developer Meredith Patterson, who believes the theory is unfounded.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bubble
Dictionary Entries Near bubble
Cite this Entry
“Bubble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bubble. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bubble
1 of 2 verb
bub·ble
ˈbəb-əl
bubbled; bubbling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to form or produce bubbles
2
: to flow with a gurgling sound
a brook bubbling over rocks
3
: to be or become lively
bubbling with joy
bubble
2 of 2 noun1
: a tiny round body of air or gas in a liquid
bubbles in boiling water
2
: a thin film of liquid filled with air or gas
soap bubbles
3
: a round body of air inside a solid
a bubble in glass
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