1A small, showy trinket or decoration.

1. 1.1British A light, brightly coloured glass ball or other decoration hung on a Christmas tree.
   once stripped of their tinsel and baubles, most Christmas trees end up in landfill

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Also, I can't stand to have money and will automatically spend all my hard earned savings on any shiny bauble or trinket that happens to strike my fancy.
   • Shoppers yesterday spoke of their shock at the wanton act of vandalism as they walked past the flattened £1, 500 tree with its brightly coloured baubles strewn across the paving.
   • She has removed all the baubles from the tree and hidden them around the house.
   • Overnight, someone had set up the tree, decorated it with lights, tinsel and baubles.
   • Dotted with tiny red berries and decorated with a mix of old and new baubles, the imitation tree is topped by a Father Christmas ornament that is an incredible 102 years old.
   • One shelf is lined with stringed lights while another holds baubles and bows and you name it, to put on the tree.
   • Each night after going to bed I can hear them downstairs dismantling the Christmas tree bauble by bauble.
   • Glass shapes, baubles and coloured beads all hung from the ivy, twinkling in the sun's rays.
   • The sun shone brightly, glittering off the grey stones of the castle, catching in the trinkets and glass baubles hanging open to the air outside of shops.
   • Children decorated the tree with lights, baubles, tinsel, snow and pretend gifts yesterday.
   • The pieces on this page - not to scale - are only the tip of the mountain of crystal, coral, bead, shell, pearl and sequin baubles available out there for summer.
   • Besides, since the house move, I had no idea where the tree baubles were.
   • Make Victorian lace baubles by covering light balls with tissue or silver paper and then attaching lace round the middle with PVA glue.
   • She had purchased a few small items, trinkets and baubles, mostly.
   • As they reached the city gates, they saw fist-sized rubies and great sapphires and emeralds and flashes of amethyst hanging like decorative baubles from every possible place.
   • In the corner of the room a large evergreen tree was standing tall, decorated with golden beads, popcorn strands, glass baubles, and handmade ornaments constructed by Damien and Thomas.
   • The chunky frames are designed to reflect the Victorian grandeur of the resort, while the baubles lining the slats represent the bright lights.
   • It has been a year since I purged my hovel of cursed trinkets and baubles.
   • The Christmas tree has been up and glittering for two days now, dripping with lights, baubles and shiny things of all kinds.
   • In that moment, Halas saw the king for what he really was: a sad, lonely man, trying to fill the void his wife had left with meaningless trinkets and baubles.

   Synonyms

   trinket, knick-knack, ornament, toy, novelty, curiosity, gimmick, plaything, trifle, frippery, gewgaw, gimcrack, bagatelle, bibelot, furbelow

   informal whatnot

   British informal doodah, doobry

   North American informal tchotchke, tsatske

   archaic folderol, whim-wham, kickshaw, bijou, gaud
2. 1.2 Something that is superficially attractive but useless or worthless.
   people in quest of honours are wasting time and effort to secure baubles

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Robinson ‘has fallen far further than most, all for a bauble, a trinket, a ring, ‘said Fratkin.
   • He doesn't attach much importance to that bauble named clarity.
   • Finally, he'd be where all the real money, power and fame was, and Jessie would come with him, a bright bauble on his arm.
   • Too long has your attention been waylaid by the bright baubles of extremist thought.

2historical A baton formerly used as an emblem by jesters.