gossip
Americannoun
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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
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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)
verb (used with object)
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Chiefly British Dialect. to stand godparent to.
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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
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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
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have gossipedperfect
-
have gossippedperfect
-
has gossipedperfect
-
has gossippedperfect
-
am gossipingprogressive
-
am gossippingprogressive
-
are gossipingprogressive
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are gossippingprogressive
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is gossipingprogressive
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is gossippingprogressive
-
have been gossipingperfect progressive
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have been gossippingperfect progressive
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has been gossipingperfect progressive
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has been gossippingperfect progressive
Past
-
gossipedsimple
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gossippedsimple
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had gossipedperfect
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had gossippedperfect
-
was gossipingprogressive
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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:
But there is little in the public record to document this, other than items in the gossip pages about their golf bouts.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Would-be sleuths with Ratajkowski’s essay and a gossip rag handy will have their work cut out for them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Swifties and their ideological opposites have both been Monday-morning quarterbacking last weekend’s shindig, accepting even the weirdest bad-faith gossip without question.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
From the late 16th Century, armies of scribes, agents and secretaries compiled akhbarat - brief news reports on court intrigue, military campaigns, appointments, finances and gossip.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
She filled me in on school gossip, celebrity gossip, and even gossip from her neighbors.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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
Then gossips chattered that a huge “bear raid,” or manipulation of stocks by short sellers, would be launched the following morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 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
Williams has long understood why people love gossip and equally adore and abhor gossips: they cause controversy, and sometimes force a public, corrective response.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2024
I only heard dribs and drabs from gossips around town.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
As attendees roamed the corridors of the suburban Dallas resort and gossiped over drinks in the faux-adobe sports bar, there was no sense of a coming contest.
From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2026
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
Busy markets sold butchered meats and fast-wilting vegetables, horse carts clattered, children shouted, and men and women gossiped in coffeehouses and read from printed newspapers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
Some are afraid that if they reveal too much they could be gossiped about.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2024
Fortunately, another girl from Irishtown visited after lunch and the two gossiped in the parlor for so long that afterward Fiona had to speed through her chores.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
His characters are the friends and acquaintances of everybody,—quoted, referred to, gossipped about, discussed, criticized, as though they were actual beings.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 01, No. 07, May, 1858 by Various
You may tell her that I came here and gossipped against her, if you like.
From The Irrational Knot Being the Second Novel of His Nonage by Shaw, Bernard
It was gossipped that he was expected to write Turner's biography—"five years' work for you," says the old man, full of plans for gathering material.
From The Life of John Ruskin by Collingwood, W. G. (William Gershom)
That as a rule, he gossipped and shared his tobacco with sailors and fishermen, and brought out the sock much oftener than was prudent for the benefit of the ragged boys who haunt the quay.
From Tales from Many Sources Vol. V by Various
Gradually it became gossipped about that the Duke of Bolton's suit had succeeded.
From Madame Flirt A Romance of 'The Beggar's Opera' by Pearce, Charles Edward
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
It was lunchtime, and this Chili’s in suburban Dallas was hopping: office friends gossiping, parents eating chips and salsa, their kids gaming on Chili’s-branded Ziosk tablets.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2025
Something that I think is pretty interesting, too, is the gossiping part of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2025
A few beats later, she slides in gossiping about Laurie’s menace of a kid and gnarly divorce.
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2025
The din of gossiping voices fills the room.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
It would be necessary to keep Roberts from gossipping, and for that reason it was policy to discount the importance of his information.
From The Grell Mystery by Froest, Frank
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 Rameur, E.
"Adieu," said Lysander, putting his562 hand out of the chaise—"remember, in defence of my bibliomaniacal gossipping, that Similis never knew happiness till he became acquainted with books."
From Bibliomania; or Book-Madness A Bibliographical Romance by Dibdin, Thomas Frognall
"It means that some accident or other has given malignant fools a chance of gossipping about her," said Sir Tancred in an unamiable tone.
From The Admirable Tinker Child of the World by Jepson, Edgar
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.
