natter

nat·ter
N1A1T1T1E1R1
US/ˈnætɚ/UK/ˈnætə/

verb

To talk casually; to discuss unimportant matters.

“What are you guys nattering about? You're clearly not following the meeting!”

Similar
chew the fatshoot the breezechatconfabulateconfabchitchatchit-chatchatter
UncommonScrabble 6
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Meanings

verbnatter (third-person singular simple present natters, present participle nattering, simple past and past participle nattered)

present singular third person natters · participle present nattering · participle past nattered · past nattered

  1. colloquialTo talk casually; to discuss unimportant matters.

    What are you guys nattering about? You're clearly not following the meeting!

  2. ScotlandTo nag.
nounnatter (plural natters)

plural natters

  1. colloquialMindless and irrelevant chatter.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbtalk socially without exchanging too much information

Similar
chew the fatshoot the breezechatconfabulateconfabchitchatchit-chatchatterchaffergossipjawclavervisit
Broader
conversediscourse
Also see
blatherchafferchatchatterchew the fatchit-chatclaverconfabulategossipjawpalaverscuttlebuttshoot the breezetwaddlevisitwafflewibble

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From a Northern England dialectal variant of gnatter (also knatter) ("to chatter, grumble; nibble away at"), ultimately of imitative origin. Cognate with German Low German gnattern (“to mumble, grumble, be grouchy”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian бърборя
  • бърборя (bărborja)to talk idly
Danish plapre
  • plapreto talk idly
Finnish pulista, jutella
  • pulistato talk idly
  • jutellato talk idly
French bavarder, blablater
  • bavarderto talk idly
  • blablaterto talk idly
  • papoterto talk idly
Latin garriō
  • garriōto talk idly
Portuguese tagarelar
  • tagarelarto talk idly
Russian болта́ть
  • болта́ть (boltátʹ)to talk idly

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with natter

matterlatterchatterbatterplatterscatterflattershatterhattersplatterpatterclattersatyrspatterattartatterattera matterbespattergatterrattersmatter
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Arnettatternrattentartentreant
Cite this entry
APA

natter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/natter

MLA

“natter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/natter. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “natter,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/natter.

Source: natter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.