gossip
Americannoun
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gossip
plural
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idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.
the endless gossip about Hollywood stars.
- Synonyms:
- chitchat, palaver, hearsay, small talk
-
light, familiar talk or writing.
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Also gossiper, gossipper. a person given to tattling or idle talk.
- Synonyms:
- rumormonger, chatterer
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Chiefly British Dialect. a godparent.
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Archaic. a friend, especially a woman.
verb (used without object)
-
gossips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gossiped,
past participle, past
-
gossipped,
past participle, past
-
gossiping,
present participle
-
gossipping
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
gossips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gossiped,
past participle, past
-
gossipped,
past participle, past
-
gossiping,
present participle
-
gossipping
present participle
-
Chiefly British Dialect. to stand godparent to.
-
Archaic. to repeat like a gossip.
noun
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casual and idle chat
to have a gossip with a friend
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a conversation involving malicious chatter or rumours about other people
a gossip about the neighbours
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Also called: gossipmonger. a person who habitually talks about others, esp maliciously
-
light easy communication
to write a letter full of gossip
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archaic a close woman friend
verb
Synonym Usage
Gossip, scandal apply to idle talk and newsmongering about the affairs of others. Gossip is light chat or talk: to trade gossip about the neighbors. Scandal is rumor or general talk that is damaging to reputation; it is usually more or less malicious: The town never lived down the election scandal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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gossipernoun
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gossipingnoun
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intergossipverb
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gossipyadjective
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ungossipingadjective
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gossipinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gossipsimple
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gossipssimple
-
have gossipedperfect
-
have gossippedperfect
-
has gossipedperfect
-
has gossippedperfect
-
am gossipingprogressive
-
am gossippingprogressive
-
are gossipingprogressive
-
are gossippingprogressive
-
is gossipingprogressive
-
is gossippingprogressive
-
have been gossipingperfect progressive
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have been gossippingperfect progressive
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has been gossipingperfect progressive
-
has been gossippingperfect progressive
Past
-
gossipedsimple
-
gossippedsimple
-
had gossipedperfect
-
had gossippedperfect
-
was gossipingprogressive
-
was gossippingprogressive
-
were gossipingprogressive
-
were gossippingprogressive
-
had been gossipingperfect progressive
-
had been gossippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gossip
First recorded before 1050; Middle English gossib, godsib(be), Old English godsibb, originally “godparent,” equivalent to god + sibb “related”; see origin at god, sib
Explanation
Gossip is conversation that's light, informal, and usually about other people's business. It can be fun to gossip about others, but no one likes it when they're the subject of gossip. You can find people just about anywhere who love to chatter about the latest rumors and stories: they're gossips who love to gossip. You've probably seen all the celebrity gossip featured in the tabloids: stories about who's dating, marrying, divorcing, or having a baby. But don't trust everything you hear — gossip isn't always accurate, and often people spread untrue gossip just to mess with someone they don't like.
Vocabulary lists containing gossip
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 2
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Simply Scandalous!
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Sula
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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:
The health update also comes with news that Hilton’s famed gossip blog — which launched in 2004 — will resume publishing stories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Hilton rose to fame in the early 2000s via his popular and at-times controversial celebrity gossip website.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Fans love drama, buildup, internet gossip, beef and story lines, and I think fighting naturally lends itself to that,” Paul said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
If gossip and snark is what you’re after, try Lena Dunham’s episode where she talks about an awkward meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook and quitting vaping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
I thought the bird was merely trying to impress me with idle gossip: I should have questioned her further.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
She smiles, laughs, cries, makes jokes, stomps her foot, flirts and gossips about other women with a girlfriend.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Much of the chatter never moves past a relatively small, dishy circle of political gossips because the supposed misdeeds, while titillating, can’t stand up to rigorous scrutiny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
Capitol Hill gossips, including journalists from whom one might have hoped to hear something before now, evidently knew about Mr. Swalwell’s behavior for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Tisa’s reenactments, commentary, and energy earned her a comment from a viewer who dubbed her “the new and improved Wendy Williams,” signaling a changing future for even legacy gossips and talk show hosts.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2025
“That’s where all the best gossips in town have gathered.”
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Because the home has been staged, buyers won’t be able to sit at the very kitchen table where the Kardashian clan gossiped over salads, or the poolside lounges where they often sunned themselves.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026
As spectators filed through security screening then streamed into the courtroom, they gossiped as key players strode by as though in a stage play, including Dick Harpootlian, the lead defense lawyer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
Some are afraid that if they reveal too much they could be gossiped about.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2024
Right now, they gossiped as in any other break room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2023
In the Hotel Sea Queen car park, the skyblue Plymouth gossiped with other, smaller cars.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Major Eaton, Old Hickory's first Secretary of War, had married a beautiful widow, maiden name Peggy O'Neil, of common birth, and much gossipped about.
From History of the United States, Volume 3 by Elisha Benjamin Andrews
"Thou tellest him now dead," said Geirmund, "with whom we have gossipped this morning."
From The story of Burnt Njal From the Icelandic of the Njals Saga by George Webbe Dasent
The town gossipped itself nearly crazy, but without any satisfactory result.
From Garman and Worse A Norwegian Novel by Alexander Lange Kielland
M.P.’s gossipped in the lobby—or dined—or smoked—or drank brandy-and-water—in short, did anything but listen to Mr. Wilson; and yet this was a grave, serious government measure.
From Here and There in London by J. Ewing (James Ewing) Ritchie
In the forepart of the oven, on either hand, stood a variety of pots and pipkins, and gossipped together in their several tones.
From Yiddish Tales by Various
“It’s like, ‘We don’t want to hear from you when we’re gossiping about you,’” said social media consultant Rachel Karten, author of the Link in Bio newsletter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
I briefly joined a book club of some work colleagues when I was teaching in rural Illinois, and it was fun, but most of our time was spent gossiping about, well, work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
I felt like he was gossiping about me to a lot of people, and during one review, it became clear that he was.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 28, 2026
"Avoid gossiping and talking about your friend or about their partner to others who could whip up hysteria," Shaheen-Zaffar tells the BBC.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025
I hate that Mom was gossiping about our lives.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Robinson and Frances Glandney, who married in 2002, were part of a group of longtime pals and she knew they’d start gossipping about her and the legendary singer-songwriter.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
"Fresh, lively, gay, and gossipping, these 'Fun Jottings' deservedly merit the enduring garb in which they appear."
From Autographs for Freedom, Volume 2 (of 2) (1854) by Julia Griffiths
His friendships are a kind of gossipping friendships, and those commonly within the circle of his trade, wherein he is careful principally to avoid two things, that is poor men and suretiships.
From Microcosmography or, a Piece of the World Discovered; in Essays and Characters by John Earle
I had frequently seen the woman; and her name, as the rector and I were one evening gossipping over our tea, on some subject or other that I forget, came up.
From Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 438 Volume 17, New Series, May 22, 1852 by Robert Chambers
One word more: In a place like this, where there is so much gossipping, I can't allow you to bear alone the responsibility of this action.
From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by E. Rameur
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.
