grapevine

[ greyp-vahyn ]

/ ˈgreɪpˌvaɪn /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for grapevine on Thesaurus.com

noun

a vine that bears grapes.

Also called grapevine telegraph. a person-to-person method of spreading rumors, gossip, information, etc., by informal or unofficial conversation, letter writing, or the like.

a private or secret source of information.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of grapevine

1645–55; 1860–65, Americanismfor def. 2; grape + vine

Words nearby grapevine

grapes, grapeshot, grape stake, grapestone, grape sugar, grapevine, grapey, graph, graphalloy, grapheme, graphemics

Other definitions for grapevine (2 of 2)

Grapevine

[ greyp-vahyn ]

/ ˈgreɪpˌvaɪn /

noun

a town in N Texas.

How to use grapevine in a sentence

At the winery, we had a full hookup for the RV on a gravel lot next to the grapevines.
How I learned to love RV travel in my 90s|Eleanor Goldman Lurensky|September 9, 2021|Washington Post
Even there, Oliver May, the manager of Discovery Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills, says that while growers tend to prefer hot years, there’s a limit to what any grapevines can take.
Pacific Northwest Wineries Are Shaking Off the Extreme Heat Wave, But Are Worried What It Means for the Industry’s Future|Megan McCluskey|July 1, 2021|Time
Cell phones and online journals are a way for hikers to communicate, but old-fashioned notebook communal-trail registers found in shelters remain an important part of the hiker grapevine.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail: A Beginner’s Guide|Karen Berger|June 28, 2021|Outside Online
Sometimes I find out through the grapevine that she made plans with other friends.
Miss Manners: I feel robbed of my potluck wedding|Judith Martin, Nicholas Martin, Jacobina Martin|January 14, 2021|Washington Post

The grapevine and the international media were alight with the buzz of the student killed by the police during the demonstration.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution|Michael Zantovsky|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Prince Harry has heard on the grapevine that UK pop star Cheryl Cole has a crush on him - and finds it pretty funny.
When Harry Met Cheryl|Tom Sykes|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Every Afghan will know, through radio and the grapevine, the news that Americans burned the Quran.
U.S. Must Show It Respects Quran and Its Importance to Afghans|Jere Van Dyk|February 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
“I had heard that just from the grapevine so I went and asked her,” Morgan recalls.
Inside Palin's Life in Alaska|Shushannah Walshe|September 14, 2010|DAILY BEAST
So over the past four or five years, the censorship strategy shifted from memos to an “official grapevine” type of operation.
Why I Won't Miss Google|Huang Hung|March 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
We had eaten our supper and were seated on the ground, under a high, branching tree into which was trained a huge grapevine.
Silver Chimes in Syria|W. S. Nelson
We briskly project ourselves to and fro in a swing of Nature's own contriving, namely, the tendrils of the wild grapevine.
Fibble, D. D.|Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb
We need another axeman to clear away the fallen trees and break the nets of grapevine.
Audrey|Mary Johnston
A corpse was bound to it by a binding of grapevine and the two ends of the stretcher rested upon the shoulders of the bearers.
Pomo Bear Doctors|Samuel Alfred Barrett
The various applications recommended in this work for the destruction of insects, are useful on the grapevine.
Soil Culture|J. H. Walden

British Dictionary definitions for grapevine

grapevine

/ (ˈɡreɪpˌvaɪn) /

noun

any of several vitaceous vines of the genus Vitis, esp V. vinifera of E Asia, widely cultivated for its fruit (grapes): family Vitaceae

informal an unofficial means of relaying information, esp from person to person

a wrestling hold in which a wrestler entwines his own leg around his opponent's and exerts pressure against various joints

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

grapevine

Origin of grapevine

Words nearby grapevine

Other definitions for grapevine (2 of 2)

Words related to grapevine

How to use grapevine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grapevine