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ramble

C2
Uncommon

Pronunciation

UK

  • /rˈæmbəl/

US

  • /ˈræmbəl/

Meanings

Verb

  1. to speak or write at length in a wandering or unfocused way

  2. to wander around or walk for pleasure without a fixed route

Noun

  1. a long walk taken outdoors for pleasure

Beyond the definition

Imagine an old stone wall slowly being covered by long, wild rose canes or climbing plants. That gives you one vivid sense of "ramble." But "ramble" is not just about plants. It can also describe a walk taken for pleasure, with no fixed destination. And if someone talks on and on, moving from one topic to another with no clear point, that is rambling too. Think of a storyteller weaving a long, winding tale: delightful, but maybe a little unfocused.

A climbing rose might ramble over a garden fence, and a conversation can ramble during a lively debate. You might choose to ramble through the woods on a sunny afternoon, enjoying the scenery without worrying about getting anywhere in particular. The key idea is movement without a strict plan or a clear line.

Examples

  1. 1

    Interview answer

    When the interviewer asked about his plans, he started to ramble and never really answered the question.

  2. 2

    Long stories

    My uncle can ramble on about old motorcycles for hours.

    • Patternramble on about + topic

      talk for a long time about it, often without a clear point

  3. 3

    Voicemail

    Her voicemail rambled from work problems to weekend plans and back again.

  4. 4

    Writing style

    The novel starts well, but it begins to ramble in the middle.

More examples
  1. 5

    Wandering

    We spent the afternoon rambling through the narrow streets of the old town.

  2. 6

    Country walk

    They often go for a ramble in the hills on Sunday mornings.

See also

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

  • be concise
  • get to the point

Used with (collocations)

  • ramble on
  • ramble about
  • ramble from topic to topic
  • start rambling

Word family

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Forms and spellings

4 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • ramblenounverb

Forms

  • rambling-ing formverbnoun
  • ramblespluralnounverb
  • rambledpast tenseverbnoun