grapevine
Definition
- Noun:
- A climbing plant: any of numerous woody vines of the genus Vitis that bear clusters of edible berries (grapes).
- An informal network for spreading information: gossip or unofficial information spread by spoken communication from person to person.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Plant):
- The old grapevine in the courtyard produces sweet red grapes every autumn.
- They pruned the grapevine to encourage better fruit growth.
- Noun (Communication):
- I heard through the grapevine that the company is planning layoffs.
- Office news often travels fastest via the grapevine, not official memos.
Advanced Usage
- "to hear something through/on the grapevine": This is the primary idiomatic usage. It means to learn about something informally and unofficially through rumors or gossip.
- I heard through the grapevine that you're getting married. Congratulations!
- How did you find out? Oh, just on the office grapevine.
Variants and Related Words
- Grape (n): The edible berry that grows on a grapevine.
- Vineyard (n): A plantation of grapevines, especially for wine production.
Synonyms
- (For the plant): Vine, climber.
- (For the communication): Rumor mill, bush telegraph, gossip network, word of mouth.
Related Idioms
- "Hear something through the grapevine": As defined in Advanced Usage, this is the core idiom associated with the word.
- Don't believe everything you hear through the grapevine; wait for an official announcement.
Noun
-
any of numerous woody vines of genus Vitis bearing clusters of edible berries
-
gossip spread by spoken communication
-
the news of their affair was spread by word of mouth
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