blubber

1 of 2

verb

blub·​ber ˈblə-bər 

blubbered; blubbering ˈblə-b(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to weep noisily

transitive verb

1

: to swell, distort, or wet with weeping

2

: to utter while weeping

blubber

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the fat of whales and other large marine mammals

b

: excessive fat on the body

2

: the action of blubbering

Synonyms

Verb

• bawl
• blub [chiefly British]
• cry
• sob
• weep

Examples of blubber in a Sentence

Verb

Oh, stop blubbering, you big baby!

the poor child was blubbering because he had fallen and skinned his knee

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The novel ends with a virtuoso lampooning of the aunt’s funeral that cuts straight through the rural superstitions and drunken blubbering. —Sam Sacks, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025

One year ago, the chubby and blubbering soon-to-be leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was seen walking alongside the hearse that carried his dead father, Kim Jong Il. —Victor Cha, Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2012

Noun

Six dead dolphins who washed up in Texas were found to have fentanyl in their blubber. —Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025

Some meat and blubber was eaten fresh; some was stored in special pits called hvalgrafir for as long as four years. —Andrew Chapman, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blubren to make a bubbling sound, from bluber

Noun

Middle English bluber bubble, foam, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for blubber

• liber
• rubber
• scrubber
• snubber

Kids Definition

blubber

1 of 2 noun

blub·​ber ˈbləb-ər 

1

: the fat of whales and other large sea mammals

2

: the action of blubbering

blubber

2 of 2 verb

blubbered; blubbering

-(ə-)riŋ

1

: to weep noisily

2

: to talk and weep at the same time