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gossip

gos·sip

UK/ˈɡɒsɪp/ US/ˈɡɑsɪp/ common
noun (3) verb (2)

noun

1.
2.

a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people

  • “the divorce caused much gossip”
Synonyms
3.

verb

1.

wag one''s tongue; speak about others and reveal secrets or intimacies

  • “She won”
Synonyms
2.

talk socially without exchanging too much information

  • “the men were sitting in the cafe and shooting the breeze”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English godsybbe, godsib (“a close friend or relation, a confidant; a godparent”), from Old English godsibb (“godparent, sponsor”), equivalent to god + sib. Doublet of godsib. For sense evolution to "gossip, discussing others' personal affairs," compare French commérage.

Phrases

  • gossip mill
  • gossip mirror
  • rat out
  • word has it

Related words

Word family

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.