gossip

[ gos-uhp ]

/ ˈgɒs əp /

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See synonyms for: gossip / gossiped / gossiping on Thesaurus.com

noun

idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others: the endless gossip about Hollywood stars.

light, familiar talk or writing.

Also gos·sip·er, gos·sip·per. a person given to tattling or idle talk.

Chiefly British Dialect. a godparent.

Archaic. a friend, especially a woman.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR gossip

1 small talk, hearsay, palaver, chitchat.

3 chatterer, talker, gabbler, rumormonger.

6 chatter, prattle, prate, palaver.

See synonyms for gossip on Thesaurus.com

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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. 2023

How to use gossip in a sentence

To the old soldier he wrote a gossipping account of his voyage.
With Wolfe in Canada|G. A. Henty
As might perhaps have been expected, there was some gossipping among neighbors in this tree.
Dooryard Stories|Clara Dillingham Pierson
His gossipping stories, and dramatic forms of speech, are never employed to hide the awful realities on which he is intent.
George Whitefield|Joseph Belcher
The work now went on briskly—Mrs. Brown knitting, and Alrina stitching and gossipping between.
The Wizard of West Penwith|William Bentinck Forfar

Of what do you suppose he would have informed us, had he indulged this bibliographical gossipping?
Bibliomania; or Book-Madness|Thomas Frognall Dibdin

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