garble

[gahr-buhl]

verb (used with object)

garbled, garbling 

1. to confuse unintentionally or ignorantly; jumble.

   to garble instructions.

2. to make unfair or misleading selections from or arrangement of (fact, statements, writings, etc.); distort.

   to garble a quotation.

3. Archaic.,  to take out the best of.

noun

1. the act or process of garbling.

2. an instance of garbling; a garbled phrase, literary passage, etc.

garble

/ ˈɡɑːbəl /

verb

1. to jumble (a story, quotation, etc), esp unintentionally

2. to distort the meaning of (an account, text, etc), as by making misleading omissions; corrupt

3. rare,  to select the best part of

noun

1. 1. the act of garbling

   2. garbled matter

Other Word Forms

• garbleable adjective
• garbler noun
• ungarbled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of garble¹

1400–50; late Middle English garbelen to remove refuse from spices < Old Italian garbellare to sift < Arabic gharbala < Late Latin crībellāre, derivative of crībellum, diminutive of Latin crībrum sieve ( -elle ); probably influenced by garboil

Word History and Origins

Origin of garble¹

C15: from Old Italian garbellare to strain, sift, from Arabic gharbala, from ghirbāl sieve, from Late Latin crībellum small sieve, from crībrum sieve

Example Sentences

He didn’t immediately respond and when he did speak his words were garbled.

From Los Angeles Times

Little was made of Trump’s continual garbling of sentences and loss of train of thought and his incredible barrage of lies, while the press put under a microscope every syllable uttered by Kamala Harris.

From Salon

Her response: “What’s the rap verse? ‘F— the police, that’s how I see ‘em,’” which she told me was a garbling of lyrics by N.W.A, Kanye West and Rage Against the Machine.

From Los Angeles Times

In response, former President Donald Trump launched into a flurry of posts on Truth Social that seemed to garble some of the accusations leveled against him.

From Salon

Now every garbled statement or odd behavior from Trump will reinforce her message.

From Salon

Related Words

• misinterpret 
• misquote