hearsay

American  

[heer-sey] / ˈhɪərˌseɪ /

noun

1. unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one's direct knowledge.

   I pay no attention to hearsay.

   Synonyms:

   tittle-tattle, babble, scuttlebutt, talk

2. an item of idle or unverified information or gossip; rumor.

   a malicious hearsay.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by hearsay.

   hearsay knowledge;

   a hearsay report.

hearsay British  

/ ˈhɪəˌseɪ /

noun

1. gossip; rumour

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hearsay Cultural  

1. Information heard by one person about another. Hearsay is generally inadmissible as evidence in a court of law because it is based on the reports of others rather than on the personal knowledge of a witness.

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Etymology

Origin of hearsay

First recorded in 1525–35; originally in phrase by hear say, calque of Middle French par ouïr dire

Explanation

Ever hear someone say something so juicy you decide to tell other people about it, even if you don't know if it's true or not? Admit it. That hearsay, or gossip, is precisely how rumors get started. Hearsay is one of those awesome words that tell us its definition right up front. You don't have to figure it out by hearsay, or word of mouth, the definition is right there — when you hear someone say a rumor, that's hearsay.

Example Sentences

Hearsay can be useful, helping to catch disease outbreaks.

From Washington Times • Nov. 25, 2020

"Hearsay puts a lot of people in jail," one Democratic source told Fox News.

From Fox News • Nov. 12, 2019

Hearsay is “an out-of-court statement introduced to prove the truth of matter asserted.”

From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2017

We see this with Hearsay, too, where a chief marketing officer or a head of sales will say, this is great.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2016

He did not doom any soul of man to live as a Hypothesis and Hearsay, in a world filled with such, and with the fatal work and fruit of such—!

From On Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History by Carlyle, Thomas

Related Words

• gossip