tittle-tattle
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have tittle-tattledperfect
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has tittle-tattledperfect 3rd person singular
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is tittle-tattlingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am tittle-tattlingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive
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has been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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tittle-tattlingparticiple
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are tittle-tattlingprogressive
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tittle-tattlessingular 3rd person
Past
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had tittle-tattledperfect
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had been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive
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were tittle-tattlingprogressive plural
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was tittle-tattlingprogressive singular
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tittle-tattledsimple
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tittle-tattledparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of tittle-tattle
First recorded in 1520–30; gradational compound based on tittle to whisper, gossip
Explanation
School children often engage in tittle-tattle about their classmates, sharing rumors and gossip while socializing during lunch and recess. Tittle-tattle refers to light gossip or idle chatter. It can be used as a noun to describe the content of the gossip, and it can be used as a verb to describe the act of engaging in it. While usually harmless, too much tittle-tattle can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or the spread of minor rumors.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But such tittle-tattle was the lifeblood of Italian football and he was bullish, saying Lentini - living his boyhood dream and contracted to June 1995 - wasn't for sale.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2023
The tip-offs included "gossip" and "tittle-tattle" about Princes William and Harry, the Old Bailey heard.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2015
It was hard to take a news holiday, over Thanksgiving, what with the protests in Ferguson, the live updates, the streaming commentary, the instant video, the on-the-spot reporting, and the tittle-tattle of Twitter.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 3, 2014
White assiduously avoided clearing up the tittle-tattle, until eventually birth, marriage and divorce certificates were slightly churlishly unearthed by journalists.
From The Guardian • Jun. 1, 2014
My ears burned as I imagined the tittle-tattle of ladies at the Chinese Opera House, the girls and guys at the drugstore, the men in the cigar shops.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
