What does havering mean?
Havering is a chiefly British informal noun for talk that is idle, repetitive, or lacking substance. It often conveys mild annoyance or condescension, as when a speaker suggests that someone’s contribution is mere chatter rather than a serious argument. The expression can also suggest gossip, particularly talk about other people, but it is not necessarily malicious: someone can be accused of havering simply for talking at excessive length. In ordinary use, “havering” usually functions as an uncountable mass noun, though the singular “a havering” and the rare plural “haverings” are also possible. The word is especially useful in British English for naming a familiar social annoyance without using the more neutral “chat” or the more strongly negative “gossip.” Its dry, slightly old-fashioned flavor can make it sound amused or mildly comic, depending on context. Although it occurs in older American usage as well, it is now much less common in American English.
nounIdle, trivial, or tiresome talk; chatter, especially talk that is gossipy or lacks substance.
- Idle, trivial, or tiresome talk; chatter, especially talk that is gossipy or lacks substance.
"After three meetings, the committee was still drowning in havering about the wording of the agenda."
"After three meetings, the committee was still drowning in havering about the wording of the agenda."
"The gossip columnist made a career out of havering about her neighbours."
Rare. Because havering usually functions as an uncountable mass noun, a plural is uncommon except in older, literary, or deliberately stylized usage.
"The memoir offers a few vivid haveryings about village life."
When a debate has no substance, British English has a wonderfully dismissive word for it: havering.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does havering come from?
The word was formed in Middle English from a verb meaning “to chatter” or “talk idly” together with the suffix -ing. That older stem belonged to a Germanic family of words associated with babbling speech and has close relatives such as habber, habble, and babble. Over time, its sense developed from talk or chatter generally toward the modern emphasis on trivial, tiresome, or gossipy conversation.
Related word forms
How havering is actually used
Informal and mildly disparaging. It often conveys annoyance or condescension, although it does not necessarily imply that the talk is malicious. The noun is usually treated as an uncountable mass noun; singular and plural uses are possible but less common.
Easily confused with havering
Having means possessing or holding something, or is a form of the verb have, whereas havering means idle or trivial talk.