Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature.
- noun A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors or facts.
- noun Trivial, chatty talk or writing.
- noun A close friend or companion.
- noun Chiefly British A godparent.
- intransitive verb To engage in or spread gossip.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A sponsor; one who answers for a child in baptism; a godfather or godmother.
- noun A friend or neighbor; an intimate companion.
- noun One who goes about tattling and telling news; an idle tattler.
- noun Idle talk, as of one friend or acquaintance to another; especially, confidential or minutely personal remarks about other people; tattle; scandal; trifling or groundless report.
- To be a boon companion.
- To talk idly, especially about other people; chat; tattle.
- To stand godfather to.
- To repeat as gossip: as, to
gossip scandal.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb obsolete To stand sponsor to.
- intransitive verb obsolete To make merry.
- intransitive verb To prate; to chat; to talk much.
- intransitive verb To run about and tattle; to tell idle tales.
- noun A sponsor; a godfather or a godmother.
- noun obsolete A friend or comrade; a companion; a familiar and customary acquaintance.
- noun One who runs house to house, tattling and telling news; an idle tattler.
- noun The tattle of a gossip; groundless rumor.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Someone who likes to talk about someone else’s private or personal business.
- noun Idle
talk about someone’sprivate orpersonal matters, especially someone not present. - noun A genre in contemporary media, usually focused on the personal affairs of celebrities.
- verb To talk about someone else's private or personal business, especially in a way that
spreads the information. - verb To talk
idly .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb talk socially without exchanging too much information
- noun a person given to gossiping and divulging personal information about others
- verb wag one's tongue; speak about others and reveal secrets or intimacies
- noun a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people
- noun light informal conversation for social occasions
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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For the sake of this discussion, forget the negative connotations of the word gossip.
It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend Richard Lavoie 2005
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For the sake of this discussion, forget the negative connotations of the word gossip.
It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend Richard Lavoie 2005
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For the sake of this discussion, forget the negative connotations of the word gossip.
It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend Richard Lavoie 2005
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For the sake of this discussion, forget the negative connotations of the word gossip.
It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend Richard Lavoie 2005
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I meant to have told you, but you are so grand in your lofty contempt of what you call gossip, but which I call good neighbourly intercourse!
Springhaven Richard Doddridge 2004
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Towards the end of the previous term gossip had it that the master of the Manor had been offered an appointment elsewhere.
The Hill A Romance of Friendship Horace Annesley Vachell 1908
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Towards the end of the previous term gossip had it that the master of the Manor had been offered an appointment elsewhere.
The Hill A Romance of Friendship Horace Annesley Vachell 1908
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I meant to have told you, but you are so grand in your lofty contempt of what you call gossip, but which I call good neighbourly intercourse!
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Like most wits, Mr. Epstein has the gift of turning cruelty into entertainment, a phrase that could serve as another definition of gossip.
Boulevardier's Delight Henry Allen 2011
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Because they believe that the local gossip is actually of national interest.
slumry commented on the word gossip
Who would have thought! Gossip=Godparent; God+sib(sibling); Later became "any familiar person," later "idle talk," and then "to talk idly about the affirs of others."
July 17, 2007
thtownse commented on the word gossip
Fantastic! That is why I love etymology.
August 13, 2008