tittle-tattle
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have tittle-tattledperfect
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has tittle-tattledperfect 3rd person singular
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is tittle-tattlingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am tittle-tattlingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive
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has been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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tittle-tattlingparticiple
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are tittle-tattlingprogressive
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tittle-tattlessingular 3rd person
Past
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had tittle-tattledperfect
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had been tittle-tattlingperfect progressive
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were tittle-tattlingprogressive plural
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was tittle-tattlingprogressive singular
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tittle-tattledsimple
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tittle-tattledparticiple
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.
His weekly, Next, which began as a print magazine but now has only a digital edition, writes a lot about celebrities and covers local tittle-tattle, but also provides unstinting support for the protests.
From New York Times • Aug. 23, 2019
In slightly more edifying transfer tittle-tattle, Tottenham Hotspur are so concerned about losing Christian Eriksen to one of Europe’s elite clubs they’ve offered to more than double his weekly wages from £80,000 to £200,000.
From The Guardian • Aug. 13, 2019
The tip-offs included "gossip" and "tittle-tattle" about Princes William and Harry, the Old Bailey heard.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2015
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
I couldn’t afford to be the topic of neighborhood tittle-tattle.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
