How to pronounce blubber
American English pronunciation
BLUB-er
- IPA
- /ˈblʌbɚ/
- Syllables
- BLUB · er (2 syllables, stress on the 1st)
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What blubber means
The thick fat under the skin of whales and seals
In a sentence: A thick layer of blubber keeps the walrus warm in icy water.
Where it comes from: It comes from an old word, blober, that meant a bubble, foamy waves or whale oil. It was probably made to sound like bubbling water.
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Another meaning
To cry noisily, with loud, messy sobs
In a sentence: The toddler began to blubber when his balloon floated away.
Where it comes from: It comes from a Middle English word meaning to bubble, probably copying the sound of bubbling. The whale-fat meaning comes from a related word for a bubble.
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