What does gurgling mean?
Gurgling is an adjective and a present-participle verb form describing a low, liquid, bubbling sound, especially the sound of water moving over stones or through a stream channel. A person's stomach may also be described as gurgling when digestive sounds become audible, and the word can figuratively suggest a build-up of excitement or a rumbling sensation. In ordinary writing, gurgling is vivid rather than technical: it invites attention to the irregular, rounded noises associated with moving liquid. It is common in descriptions of natural scenery, food and drink, plumbing, and bodily sounds. Compared with merely bubbling, gurgling often suggests a deeper or more continuous sound; compared with rippling, it places greater emphasis on the noisy flow of liquid. The word is therefore especially useful when a writer wants to convey texture and sound rather than merely state that water is present.
Characterized by a deep, liquid, bubbling sound.
"A gurgling brook ran beside the meadow."
Often used attributively before nouns such as sound, water, or stomach.
The present participle of gurgle: making a deep, liquid, bubbling sound.
"The kettle began gurgling as the water heated."
The form can also have a figurative use for a rumbling sensation or mounting excitement.
A gurgling stream is nature turning tiny bubbles into music.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gurgling come from?
The form is formed from the English verb gurgle plus -ing. Gurgle appeared in early modern English in the late sixteenth century and is probably imitative, reproducing the sound of bubbling liquid. Its history is also linked to French gargouille, a word associated with a gurgling sound and related to English gargle and gargoyle.
How gurgling is actually used
Neutral in register but strongly descriptive and often vivid. It is especially common in writing about water, plumbing, digestion, and figurative excitement; there is no significant regional distinction.
Easily confused with gurgling
Gurgling describes a bubbling or rumbling sound, whereas gargling means rinsing or cleaning the throat with liquid.