tittle-tattle

American  

[tit-l-tat-l] / ˈtɪt lˌtæt l /

noun

1. gossip or foolish chatter.

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verb (used without object)

tittle-tattled, tittle-tattling

1. to gossip or chatter.

tittle-tattle British  

noun

1. idle chat or gossip

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verb

1. (intr) to chatter or gossip

Other Word Forms

• tittle-tattler noun

Etymology

Origin of tittle-tattle

First recorded in 1520–30; gradational compound based on tittle to whisper, gossip

Example Sentences

President Putin recently dismissed the suggestion as "utter nonsense, drivel and politically-motivated tittle-tattle."

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2021

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

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

Mr. McDonagh has a peerless gift for locating the mythologizing in small-town tittle-tattle, and the liturgical cadences in repeated phrases and actions.

From New York Times • Jun. 27, 2013

My ears burned as I imagined the tittle-tattle of ladies at the Chinese Opera House, the girls and guys at the drugstore, the men in the cigar shops.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu