gossip

1 of 2

noun

gos·​sip ˈgä-səp How to pronounce gossip (audio)
1
a
dialectal British : godparent
c
: a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others
the worst gossip in town
2
a
: rumor or report of an intimate nature
spreading gossip about their divorce
b
: a chatty talk
c
: the subject matter of gossip
Their breakup was common gossip.
gossipry noun

gossip

2 of 2

verb

gossiped; gossiping; gossips

intransitive verb

: to relate gossip (see gossip entry 1 sense 2a)
gossiper noun

Did you know?

Old English sibb, meaning “relative” or “kinsman,” came from the adjective sibb, “related by blood” (the ancestor of modern English sibling). Old English godsibb was a person spiritually related to another, specifically by being a sponsor at baptism. Today we call such a person a godparent. Over the centuries, godsibb changed both in form and in meaning. Middle English gossib came to be used for a close friend or crony as well as for a godparent. From there it was only a short step to the gossip of today, a person no longer necessarily friend, relative, or sponsor, but someone filled with irresistible tidbits of rumor.

Examples of gossip in a Sentence

Noun He had been spreading gossip about his coworkers. the latest news and gossip from the entertainment industry She writes a gossip column in the paper. I like having a good gossip now and then. Verb They spent the afternoon gossiping on the phone. They often gossip with each other about their neighbors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The group chatted, catching up on gossip, as the kids raced between the river and the sea. Mya Guarnieri, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 Common articles featured local businesses and town gossip, while investigative journalists of the time tracked the town's growing popularity and changing socio-economic scene. Detroit Free Press, 2 Mar. 2024 But a confluence of factors—and the public’s rabid preoccupation with celebrity gossip—have converged to make some people online think that something is very amiss. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 29 Feb. 2024 In this way, the Middleton story is a collision of two popular cultures: conspiracy theorizing, now fully mainstream, and classic celebrity gossip. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024 This defined her life of staggering privilege, as well as heartbreak and tragedy, that played out in glossy magazines and gossip columns on both sides of the Atlantic beginning in the 1950s. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024 Instead of being watchdogs, the public becomes gossip hounds. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2024 There’s something rhythmic to Athenian gossip, with TV-star names merging with Greek phonemes and the names of islands, ships, and ancient philosophers. Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 14 Feb. 2024 Yet, workplace gossip is typically viewed in an unfavorable light. Mark Travers, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
There was the buzz of girls gossiping, the hoots and hollers of prize-winning kids. Emily Ziff Griffin, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024 The club gathered to gossip and bond — and split a weekly purchase of lottery tickets. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 Is your tendency to gossip at work for the better or worse? Mark Travers, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 There may be no harder time of the year to keep a secret in the NBA than the build up to the trade deadline, as scouts, executives, coaches, players and agents all gossip with reporters about who could move where and what that deal could cost. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 This is a uniquely human form of cooperation facilitated by our ability to gossip and keep track of everyone around us, even strangers. TIME, 3 Feb. 2024 Rather than gossiping and dropping hints to one another in abstruse away messages, my friends and I wrote diary entries. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2024 Gomez was rumored to be gossiping about Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner with close friends Taylor Swift and Keleigh Sperry, though People’s source reports that is not true. Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2024 Despite rampant speculation, Selena Gomez was not gossiping about Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at the Golden Globes with her close friends Taylor Swift and Keleigh Sperry, a Gomez source tells PEOPLE exclusively. Melody Chiu, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gossip.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English gossib, from Old English godsibb, from god god + sibb kinsman, from sibb related — more at sib

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1627, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gossip was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gossip

Cite this Entry

“Gossip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gossip. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gossip

noun
gos·​sip
ˈgäs-əp
1
: a person who reveals personal or sensational facts
2
a
: rumor or report of a personal nature
b
: chatty talk
gossip verb
gossiper noun
gossipy
-ə-pē
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on gossip

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