word of mouth

American  

noun

1. informal oral communication.

   The rumor spread rapidly by word of mouth.

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Other Word Forms

• word-of-mouth adjective

Etymology

Origin of word of mouth

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

But what we found was there was a younger generation of trans people who all somehow, by word of mouth, discovered that record, and they came to us later having grown up with it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

That’s why it pays to identify aides through word of mouth who, even if they are not available now, might be available later.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Radio airplay, strong word of mouth, glossy production and a slick cover that looked like an upscale fragrance ad helped the record sell a million copies by September 1976.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

"It's just word of mouth," said Musab, 34, an entrepreneur.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

If information could be passed on merely by word of mouth, how little we should know of our past, how slow would be our progress!

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan