What does slobbering mean?
Slobbering means letting saliva flow from the mouth, usually more than one would expect or consider polite. It can describe a drooling baby, an eager dog waiting for food, or someone whose mouth is running freely during an illness. The verb also has a second sense: eating or drinking so messily that saliva or other liquid is spilled. In contemporary English, it is most often associated with dogs, babies, and hungry children, and it is generally informal rather than clinical or polite. Although its sound and imagery can make it sound comically exaggerated, the word can also convey genuine wetness and untidiness. It is useful in vivid descriptions of food, animals, and unguarded human behaviour, where the specificity of slobbering is more expressive than simply saying eating or drooling.
verbTo let saliva flow from the mouth, especially excessively or uncontrollably. It can also describe eating or drinking in a messy way that causes saliva or liquid to spill.
- To emit or allow saliva to flow from the mouth, especially excessively.
- To eat or drink messily, with saliva or liquid spilling from the mouth.
"The dog was slobbering over its food as soon as the bowl reached the floor."
"The puppy was slobbering eagerly while its owner held the food bowl."
"He ate without a plate and spent the rest of lunch slobbering over the table."
From the first wet chin to the last crumb on the plate, slobbering captures the glorious mess of eating with very little dignity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does slobbering come from?
Slobbering is the present participle of slobber, an English verb whose precise origin is uncertain. The older base word is related to other forms associated with wet or messy eating, and the verb developed both the sense of dribbling saliva and the broader sense of eating messily.
How slobbering is actually used
The word is informal and often humorous, but it may sound disparaging or impatient when used to describe a child, animal, or person's eating habits.
Easily confused with slobbering
A slob is a person considered rude, clumsy, or vulgar, whereas slobbering is an action involving saliva or messy eating.