gossip

[gos-uhp]

noun

1. idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.

   the endless gossip about Hollywood stars.

   Synonyms: chitchat, palaver, hearsay, small talk

2. light, familiar talk or writing.

3. Also gossiper, gossipper. a person given to tattling or idle talk.

   Synonyms: rumormonger, chatterer

4. Chiefly British Dialect.,  a godparent.

5. Archaic.,  a friend, especially a woman.

verb (used without object)

gossiped, gossipped, gossiping, gossipping. 

1. to talk idly, especially about the affairs of others; go about tattling.

   Synonyms: palaver, prate, prattle, chatter

verb (used with object)

gossiped, gossipped, gossiping, gossipping. 

1. Chiefly British Dialect.,  to stand godparent to.

2. Archaic.,  to repeat like a gossip.

gossip

/ ˈɡɒsɪp /

noun

1. casual and idle chat

   to have a gossip with a friend

2. a conversation involving malicious chatter or rumours about other people

   a gossip about the neighbours

3. Also called: gossipmonger. a person who habitually talks about others, esp maliciously

4. light easy communication

   to write a letter full of gossip

5. archaic,  a close woman friend

verb

1. to talk casually or maliciously (about other people)

Other Word Forms

• gossipingly adverb
• gossiping noun
• gossipy adjective
• gossiper noun
• intergossip verb
• ungossiping adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gossip¹

First recorded before 1050; Middle English gossib, godsib(be), Old English godsibb, originally “godparent,” equivalent to god + sibb “related”; god, sib

Word History and Origins

Origin of gossip¹

Old English godsibb godparent, from _god + _sib ; the term came to be applied to familiar friends, esp a woman's female friends at the birth of a child, hence a person, esp a woman, fond of light talk

Synonym Study

Gossip, scandal apply to idle talk and newsmongering about the affairs of others. Gossip is light chat or talk: to trade gossip about the neighbors. Scandal is rumor or general talk that is damaging to reputation; it is usually more or less malicious: The town never lived down the election scandal.

Example Sentences

The ceaseless churn of NBA gossip and debate can feel larger than the game itself; it’s not uncommon for a trade rumor, quote or perceived insult to consume a news cycle.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"There's a lot of gossip which swirls around you," he says.

Read more on BBC

But soon we are racing from our seats to the kitchen and back, pondering not only ingredients but family gossip.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She will be remembered as an irrepressible gossip, whose enormous sales caused some to overlook her enviable skills as a writer.

Read more on BBC

Once the press gets wind that Mary’s marriage has ended, the gossip is relentless, and the one-time belle of the ball can’t rustle up so much as a small tea party.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• buzz 
• chatter 
• chitchat 
• conversation 
• hearsay 
• news 
• scandal 
• slander 
• tale