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
- unrumored adjective
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”
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.
The prospect of the executive order has stirred in the defense industry since rumors emerged it was being drafted last month.
Adding to the drama: Duff and Mandy Moore are rumored to be part of the group, though Tisdale French has annoyingly refused to name names.
From Los Angeles Times
Before requiring registration with government identification, it was a rumor mill.
Gilded fixtures, trim and ornamentation — rumored to be from Home Depot — mar the walls.
From Salon
They logged on to VPNs to access YouTube and X, which are blocked in Venezuela, to piece together which sites had been hit and trade rumors about U.S. soldiers in the streets.
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.
