tittle-tattle
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tittle-tattlesimple
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tittle-tattlessimple
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have tittle-tattledperfect
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has tittle-tattledperfect
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am tittle-tattlingprogressive
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are tittle-tattlingprogressive
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is tittle-tattlingprogressive
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have been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive
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has been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive
Past
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tittle-tattledsimple
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had tittle-tattledperfect
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was tittle-tattlingprogressive
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were tittle-tattlingprogressive
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had been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tittle-tattle
First recorded in 1520–30; gradational compound based on tittle to whisper, gossip
Explanation
School children often engage in tittle-tattle about their classmates, sharing rumors and gossip while socializing during lunch and recess. Tittle-tattle refers to light gossip or idle chatter. It can be used as a noun to describe the content of the gossip, and it can be used as a verb to describe the act of engaging in it. While usually harmless, too much tittle-tattle can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or the spread of minor rumors.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Prosecutor Andrew Scott said the detective had accessed logs involving "a relatively minor complaint" and "tittle-tattle" relating to her male friend, which was being dealt with by uniformed officers.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“I’m not interested in all the tittle-tattle ... we all have to remember that he is a truly gifted player.”
From The Guardian ● Jul. 24, 2017
It was hard to take a news holiday, over Thanksgiving, what with the protests in Ferguson, the live updates, the streaming commentary, the instant video, the on-the-spot reporting, and the tittle-tattle of Twitter.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 3, 2014
When transfer windows were introduced, they were seen as potentially damaging for the red tops, for which transfer tittle-tattle was a staple.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2014
‘Your uncle does not want gossip and tittle-tattle over breakfast,’ she said tightly.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
You can, well, cork the mouths of a thousand bottles, But not that of one that always tittle-tattles.
From Truth and the Myth : Couplets quips by Narayanan, A. R.
But just now there are also tittle-tattles in the hall.
From Dorothy Dale in the City by Penrose, Margaret
Them as tittle-tattles about dead folks needn't look to lie quiet theirselves in their graves.
From Marcella by Ward, Humphry, Mrs.
He will not take part in these little tittle-tattles.
From Miss Mapp by Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
Delacroix painted in Nohant's garden studio, and such famous guests as Balzac, Theophile Gautier and Alfred de Vigny argued and tittle-tattled in its drawing room.
From Time Magazine Archive
At least she on more than one occasion tittle-tattled about her.
From Lady Mary Wortley Montague Her Life and Letters (1689-1762) by Melville, Lewis
There was no card playing, "quarreling with or whipping wives . . . tittle-tattling ... or running about."
From Time Magazine Archive
While visiting Bonn with the President in July, he appeared with a new German friend in a manner so cozy that it immediately made the Washington Star's tittle-tattling "Ear" column.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity," but charity is not to be found in that tittle-tattling, excited crowd of talkers.
From The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent A Complete Course of 66 Short Sermons, or Full Sermon Outlines for Each Sunday, and Some Chief Holy Days of the Christian Year by Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
And I remember that once she had been tittle-tattling as usual, and had said something more indefensible than usual of her benefactress, when looking up suddenly we found Miss Champion in the room.
From The Story of Bawn by Tynan, Katharine
Mr Cargrim, by his late tittle-tattling conversation, had fallen in her good opinion; and she was not going to let him off without a sharp rebuke for his unfounded chatter.
From The Bishop's Secret by Hume, Fergus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
