rumour
Britishnoun
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information, often a mixture of truth and untruth, passed around verbally
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( in combination )
a rumour-monger
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gossip or hearsay
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archaic din or clamour
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obsolete fame or reputation
verb
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(tr; usually passive) to pass around or circulate in the form of a rumour
it is rumoured that the Queen is coming
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literary to make or cause to make a murmuring noise
Etymology
Origin of rumour
C14: via Old French from Latin rūmor common talk; related to Old Norse rymja to roar, Sanskrit rāut 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.
Mengele has been the subject of mystery, rumour and conspiracy for decades.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
"My post is a simple question to government supporters and nothing else. It doesn't involve any community, any rumour or sensational news," Patil told BBC Marathi.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
They have been demined since, "but rumour has it it's still not safe," the 15-year-old said.
From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025
What is certain, experts say, is that Hitler did not have Jewish ancestry - a rumour that had been circulating since the 1920s.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025
Now that the fear of the Dead was removed they came to aid us and to look on the Heir of Isildur; for the rumour of that name had run like fire in the dark.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
