Meaning

A spherically contained volume of air or other gas, especially one made from soapy liquid..

Definitions by Sense

1. A spherically contained volume of air or other gas, especially one made from soapy liquid.
2. A small spherical cavity in a solid material.
3. (by extension) Anything resembling a hollow sphere.
4. (figurative) Anything lacking firmness or solidity; a cheat or fraud; an empty project.
5. (economics) A period of intense speculation in a market, causing prices to rise quickly to irrational levels as the metaphorical bubble expands, and then fall even more quickly as the bubble bursts.
6. (figurative) The emotional or physical atmosphere in which a subject is immersed; especially, a homogeneous atmosphere in which subjects are spared exposure to culture or ideas different from their own.
7. An officer's station in a prison dormitory, affording views on all sides.
8. (obsolete) Someone who has been ‘bubbled’ or fooled; a dupe.

Example Sentences

bubbles in window glass, or in a lens

Then a soldier […] / Seeking the bubble reputation / Even in the cannon's mouth

real estate bubble

dot-com bubble

Thanks to the proliferation of semiconductor chips and cell phones—the number of U.S. cell phones grew from essentially zero in 1983 to nearly two hundred million by the end of 2004, and as of 2003 over one billion cell phones were in use worldwide, so by the time the high-tech bubble approached its bursting point in 2000 and 2001, coltan had become an extremely hot commodity.

The yawning gap between data-center expenditures and the rest of the economy has caused whispers of bubble to rise to a chorus. […] Rapid construction of canals, railroads, and the fiber-optic cables laid during the dot-com bubble all created frenzies of hype, investment, and financial speculation that crashed markets.

Thomas, so often West Brom's most positive attacker down their left side and up against Salgado, twice almost burst the bubble of excitement around the ground but he had two efforts superbly saved by Robinson.

He’s wrapped up snugly in a cozy bubble of self-regard, talking for his own sake more than anyone else’s.

Word Forms

• bubbles
• bubbling
• bubbled

Synonyms for bubble

Antonyms for bubble

Related Words

When Should You Use Bubble?

Use bubble when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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