rumor
AmericanUsage
What does rumor mean? A rumor is a story or statement that is being passed around without confirmation that the information is true, as in I heard a rumor about a new superhero movie. Rumor can also mean general hearsay, as in You shouldn’t put much faith in rumor and speculation. As a verb, rumor means to spread or report rumors. When used this way, it is usually accompanied by the thing that is a rumor, as in It has been rumored that Disney is building a new amusement park outside the city. While rumor does mean the information hasn’t been checked, it is still possible for it to be true. For this reason, rumor may not always be able to be used as a synonym for words like lie, falsehood, nonsense, or fiction. In British English, rumor is often spelled as rumour. A person who loves spreading rumors is called a rumormonger. Example: My gossipy neighbor loves spreading ridiculous rumors all over town.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rumor
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English rumour, from Middle French, from Latin rūmor; akin to Sanskrit rāuti, rāvati “(he) cries”
Explanation
A rumor is a story which may not be true. Everyone may be talking about the rap superstar who stopped for ice cream in your town, but until there's proof that it really happened, the whole thing is just a rumor. Are rumors ever true? Of course — sometimes word gets out ahead of time, like when a student overhears teachers talking about the early dismissal before it is announced. When the school closes early, the rumor is confirmed. But many other rumors can never be confirmed, so they stay just that, rumors. True, false, semi-true: who knows? The Latin word rumorem, or noise, is the origin; noise is often all that a rumor is.
Vocabulary lists containing rumor
Bridge to Terabithia
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Schooled
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"So You're Going to Mars"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“It’s led to a rumor mill that something nefarious was done.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Savor a celebrity rumor that was too good to be true: For a moment this week, it seemed like Channing Tatum was using a burner Instagram account to leave snarky comments on his ex’s posts.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
We haven’t seen a “spike peak” buy signal since early last June — an extraordinarily long time for VIX to go without spiking upward on some negative news or rumor of some sort.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
There was a rumor, passed down from older campers to younger ones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
"There's a rumor that this kid is going around town with Ampai. He gets real close to orbs, and...well, he listens to them or something."
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
There are two predominant rumors about how a wild herd ended up in the Inland Empire, Spasojevic said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Holland and Zendaya first met when they were cast alongside each other in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and rumors soon began to surface that their on-screen romance may have turned into a real-life love.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Jolin said she had met with Manuel and told him that she believed Moore shouldn’t serve as coach if the rumors she had heard about him were true.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
People are smashing Flock cameras on the street, renaming the A.I.-powered Meta Ray-Bans as “pervert glasses,” and starting widespread rumors about who is secretly using your data to train their A.I. models.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
There were rumors of “blue books” circulating among mediums.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
