garble

/ˈɡɑː.bəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡɑːr.bəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgär-bəl/ (ame, mw)

garble — verb

  • garblepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • garbles3rd person singular
  • garbling-ing form
  • garbledpast simple

1. to repeat or pass on words, a name, or a piece of information in such a confused

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to repeat or pass on words, a name, or a piece of information in such a confused or broken form that listeners can no longer make sense of it.

例句

The radio operator garbled the captain's instructions and the rescue team went to the wrong island.

garble + noun (instructions); typical context of transmission error

Tanvi was so nervous on stage that she garbled the opening line of her favourite poem.

garble + noun (line); subject is the speaker, not a relayer

同義詞
  • muddle

    milder; suggests confusion without necessarily distorting the meaning

  • jumble

    focuses on disordered arrangement; common with words or facts

  • mangle

    stronger; suggests serious damage to the original wording

  • distort

    more formal; often used of news or quotes twisted out of shape

反義詞
  • articulate

    to express clearly and effectively

  • clarify

    to make a confused statement easier to understand

文法句型

garble + noun (a message, name, words)

用法筆記

Object is almost always a message-like noun (words, name, quote, line, instructions, address, lyrics, story). Subject can be either the original speaker who stumbles or someone passing on a message who mangles it.

常見錯誤

❌I garbled my food when I was hungry.
✅I gobbled my food when I was hungry.
💡'garble' is about distorting speech or messages, not eating quickly.
❌Static garbled on the radio for an hour.
✅Static garbled the radio signal for an hour.
💡'garble' is transitive; it needs an object that is being distorted.

garble — noun