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• grapevine
  grapevine

  noun

  a vine that bears grapes.
• Grapevine
  Grapevine

  noun

  a town in N Texas.

grapevine

¹ American  

[greyp-vahyn] / ˈgreɪpˌvaɪn /

noun

grapevines plural

1. a vine that bears grapes.

2. 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.

3. a private or secret source of information.

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Grapevine ² American  

[greyp-vahyn] / ˈgreɪpˌvaɪn /

noun

1. a town in N Texas.

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grapevine British  

/ ˈɡreɪpˌvaɪn /

noun

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

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

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grapevines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grapevine

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

Explanation

The grapevine is a word for gossip. Anything heard on the grapevine was learned by word of mouth. In the Civil War, a grapevine telegraph was a gadget used for communicating. From there, people started talking about "the grapevine" as a source of information, especially gossip. If you heard from a friend of a friend that another friend is getting married, you heard it on the grapevine. If your cousin's cousin told you about a family scandal, you heard it on the grapevine. The grapevine is unofficial and full of hearsay: what you hear might not be accurate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grapevine Grapevine grapevines

Pans heave with labor-intensive dishes like çalkama, a Turkish pastry, and yaprak sarma, grapevine leaves filled by hand with a mixture of rice, onions, tomatoes and herbs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

"Online patient communities work a lot like a neighborhood grapevine," says Ungar.

From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026

Some reporters have gotten Trump’s digits through the grapevine or from colleagues; at least one simply asked him.

From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026

Again, no one knows for sure, but the grapevine says that Mercedes are ahead.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025

At the far end Matt saw an enormous grapevine sprawled over a man- made trellis.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

The partially-submerged vehicle was removed from near the shoreline of the south side of the lake, with the Grapevine Fire Department Water Rescue Team assisting police in the operation.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

The event, organized by the American Conservative Union, launched with an international summit on March 25, 2026, and runs through March 28 in Grapevine, Texas.

From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026

Along the Interstate 5 corridor near the Grapevine, early California poppies are already appearing, even though a full bloom usually does not arrive until late April or early May.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

“Tastefully updated 1,685-square-foot single-family home in the heart of Grapevine, famously known as Post Malone’s childhood home,” the listing notes.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 18, 2026

The latter was directed to cross the Chickahominy with all his force by the Grapevine Bridge, and to pursue with eagerness.

From The Long Roll by Johnston, Mary

"I think this decline is very regrettable," Tariq Lenny Bas, who grew up among the grapevines of western Austria, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

An invasive insect has been found on California grapevines, threatening the state’s wine industry, experts say.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

The nursery is famous for its grapevines and root stock of almond, walnut and pistachio, which are sold to farmers, commercial growers and retail nurseries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024

“It’s much faster to do, and makes a lot more sense, when you have an entire crew,” he admitted before discussing the tractors, the road trips and the grapevines that keep him grounded.

From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2024

He spends most of his time walking around the grapevines, shaking his head.

From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones