rumour
Britishnoun
-
-
information, often a mixture of truth and untruth, passed around verbally
-
( in combination )
a rumour-monger
-
-
gossip or hearsay
-
archaic din or clamour
-
obsolete fame or reputation
verb
-
(tr; usually passive) to pass around or circulate in the form of a rumour
it is rumoured that the Queen is coming
-
literary to make or cause to make a murmuring noise
Etymology
Origin of rumour
C14: via Old French from Latin rūmor common talk; related to Old Norse rymja to roar, Sanskrit rāut he cries
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.
Others are just glad the process has moved on after a period of speculation and rumour about what was happening.
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025
They have been demined since, "but rumour has it it's still not safe," the 15-year-old said.
From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025
Mr Cash said the information he gave Mr Berry was publicly available or "just political gossip that formed part of the everyday Westminster rumour mill".
From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025
"There was a rumour of it on the morning and everyone was like 'no obviously not', I said 'no way he's coming to manage, he's just visiting'."
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025
This wasn’t the first time I’d come across the rumour about deferrals.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
