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
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Schooled
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"So You're Going to Mars"
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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:
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
It’s a rumor that’s plagued Velez’s legacy for decades.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
It was not quite the revelation that your new meat guy has been selling you horse, but as openings for an internet rumor go, it was almost too generous.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
The rumor mill is active, locals say, and includes conjecture on whether Musk himself might show up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
But there were not many black people visible on this day and Paradise had the look of a town desolated by plague or the rumor of plague.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
The professional ballroom dancer also slammed rumors that she was at all dissatisfied with her celebrity pairing alongside 55-year-old Rodriguez, the talk show sidekick to Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Ms. Fritz’s task in refuting the rumors of a love affair isn’t easy, but she keeps at it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 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
For months, rumors circulated that he had actually died, was on life support or was otherwise incapacitated.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
“It’s about those rumors, isn’t it? About him cheating?”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
