Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A confusion of sounds or voices.
  • noun A scene or situation of confusion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The Semitic name of the city (Babylon) where, according to Gen. xi., the construction of a tower that would reach to heaven was attempted, and where the confusion of tongues took place. See Babylonian. Hence A lofty structure.
  • noun A visionary scheme.
  • noun A scene of noise and confusion, as a great city or a riotous assemblage.
  • noun [cap. or lowercase] A confused mixture of sounds; confusion; disorder.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The city and tower in the land of Shinar, where the confusion of languages took place.
  • noun Hence: A place or scene of noise and confusion; a confused mixture of sounds, as of voices or languages.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative form of Babel.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (Genesis 11:1-11) a tower built by Noah's descendants (probably in Babylon) who intended it to reach up to heaven; God foiled them by confusing their language so they could no longer understand one another
  • noun a confusion of voices and other sounds

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Babel.]

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Examples

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  • "Meanwhile, the poor Babel fish, by effectively removing all barriers to communication between different races and cultures, has caused more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation." Douglas Adams, Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

    December 20, 2007