Meanings
present singular third person gurgles · participle present gurgling · participle past gurgled · past gurgled
- To flow with a bubbling sound.
The bath water gurgled down the drain.
1 more example
Pure gurgling rills the lonely deſart trace, / And vvaſte their muſick on the ſavage race.
1727, [Edward Young], “Satire V. On Women.”, in Love of Fame, the Universal Passion. In Seven Characteristical Satires, 4th edition, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson […], published 1741, →OCLC, page 97
plural gurgles
- A gurgling sound.
Then the conversation broke off, and there was little more talking, only a noise of men going backwards and forwards, and of putting down of kegs and the hollow gurgle of good liquor being poured from breakers into the casks.
[1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make such a sound.
More synonyms by meaning
verbflow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishgurguling“a rumbling in the belly”
- Englishgurgle
Back formation from Middle English gurguling (“a rumbling in the belly”). Akin to Middle Dutch gorgelen (“to gurgle”), Middle Low German gorgelen (“to gurgle”), German gurgeln (“to gargle”), and perhaps to Latin gurguliō (“throat”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κελαρύζω, τονθορύζω
- κελαρύζω (kelarúzō)to flow with a bubbling sound
- τονθορύζω (tonthorúzō)to make such a sound
Arabic غَرْغَرَ, بَقْبَقَ
- غَرْغَرَ (ḡarḡara)to flow with a bubbling sound
- بَقْبَقَ (baqbaqa)to flow with a bubbling sound
Bulgarian бълбукам, бълбукане
- бълбукам (bălbukam)to flow with a bubbling sound
- бълбукане (bălbukane)gurgling sound
Czech bublat, bublat
- bublatto flow with a bubbling sound
- bublatto make such a sound
- bublánígurgling sound
Finnish kurluttaa, kurluttaa
- kurluttaato flow with a bubbling sound
- kurluttaato make such a sound
- kurlutusgurgling sound
French gargouiller, gargouillis
- gargouillerto make such a sound
- gargouillisgurgling sound
German gurgeln, gurgeln
- gurgelnto flow with a bubbling sound
- gurgelnto make such a sound
- Gurgelngurgling sound
Hebrew גִּרְגֵּר
- גִּרְגֵּר (girgér)to make such a sound
Hungarian bugyborékol, gurgulázik
- bugyborékolto flow with a bubbling sound
- gurgulázikto make such a sound
Italian gorgogliare, fiottare
- gorgogliareto flow with a bubbling sound
- fiottareto flow with a bubbling sound
- croccolareto flow with a bubbling sound
- bruireto flow with a bubbling sound
- gorgogliogurgling sound
- gorgogliaregurgling sound
- gorgoglìogurgling sound
Japanese ごぼごぼ
- ごぼごぼ (gobogobo)gurgling sound
Māori kokō, tatangi
- kokōto flow with a bubbling sound
- tatangito make such a sound
- kokōto make such a sound
- kokōgurgling sound
Norwegian gurgle
- gurgleto make such a sound
Persian قُلقُل
- قُلقُلgurgling sound
Polish bulgotać, gulgotać
- bulgotaćto make such a sound
- gulgotaćto make such a sound
- bulgotgurgling sound
- gulgotgurgling sound
- bulgotaniegurgling sound
- gaworzeniegurgling sound
Portuguese gorgolejar, gorgolejar
- gorgolejarto flow with a bubbling sound
- gorgolejarto make such a sound
- gorgolejogurgling sound
Russian бу́лькать, журча́ть
- бу́лькать (búlʹkatʹ)to flow with a bubbling sound
- журча́ть (žurčátʹ)to flow with a bubbling sound
- бу́лькать (búlʹkatʹ)to make such a sound
- бу́лькнуть (búlʹknutʹ)to make such a sound
- бу́льканье (búlʹkanʹje)gurgling sound
Scottish Gaelic dèan glugan, dèan glugan
- dèan gluganto flow with a bubbling sound
- dèan gluganto make such a sound
- glugangurgling sound
Spanish gluglutear, gluglú
- gluglutearto flow with a bubbling sound
- gluglúgurgling sound
Swedish gurgla, gurgla
- gurglato flow with a bubbling sound
- gurglato make such a sound
- gurgelgurgling sound
Turkish çağlamak
- çağlamakto flow with a bubbling sound
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gurgle
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
gurgle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gurgle
“gurgle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gurgle. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gurgle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gurgle.
Source: gurgle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.