Dictionary.com

gossip

[ gos-uhp ]
/ ˈgɒs əp /
See synonyms for: gossip / gossiping on Thesaurus.com

noun

verb (used without object), gos·siped or gos·sipped, gos·sip·ing or gos·sip·ping.

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

verb (used with object), gos·siped or gos·sipped, gos·sip·ing or gos·sip·ping.

Chiefly British Dialect. to stand godparent to.
Archaic. to repeat like a gossip.

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gossip

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

synonym study for gossip

1. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM gossip

gos·sip·ing·ly, adverbin·ter·gos·sip, verb, in·ter·gos·siped or in·ter·gos·sipped, in·ter·gos·sip·ing.un·gos·sip·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to gossip

scandal, hearsay, chitchat, tale, conversation, slander, buzz, news, chatter, blab, blather, account, prate, chronicle, grapevine, defamation, cry, story, meddling, babble

Example sentences from the Web for gossip

British Dictionary definitions for gossip

gossip1
/ (ˈɡɒsɪp) /

noun

casual and idle chatto have a gossip with a friend
a conversation involving malicious chatter or rumours about other peoplea gossip about the neighbours
Also called: gossipmonger a person who habitually talks about others, esp maliciously
light easy communicationto write a letter full of gossip
archaic a close woman friend

verb -sips, -siping or -siped

(intr often foll by about) to talk casually or maliciously (about other people)

Derived forms of gossip

gossiper, noungossiping, noun, adjectivegossipingly, adverbgossipy, adjective

Word Origin for gossip

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012