Definition

1. Noun:

   • Unverified information or a story passed from person to person: A "rumor" is a piece of information or a story that is spread among people, often without any known proof or certainty about its truth. It is typically gossip or hearsay.

2. Verb:

   • To report or spread unverified information: To "rumor" means to tell or circulate a rumor. It is often used in passive constructions (e.g., "it is rumored that...").

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • A rumor about layoffs spread quickly through the office.
  • I heard a rumor that the store is closing down.

• Verb:

  • It was rumored that he was planning to resign.
  • They rumored that a celebrity was moving into the neighborhood.

Advanced Usage

• "Rumor has it that...": A common phrase used to introduce information that is being circulated as gossip.
  • Rumor has it that the company is being sold.
• "To start a rumor": To be the origin point of unverified gossip.
  • Someone started a false rumor to damage his reputation.
• "To quash/squelch a rumor": To stop a rumor from spreading, often by providing official information.
  • The CEO held a press conference to quash the merger rumors.

Variants and Related Words

• Rumour (noun/verb): The British English spelling of "rumor".
• Rumor mill (noun phrase): The process or environment in which rumors are created and spread.
  • The office rumor mill was working overtime after the manager's sudden departure.
• Rumormonger (noun): A person who spreads rumors.
  • He is known as a rumormonger who can't be trusted.

Synonyms

• Gossip (noun/verb): Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as true.
• Hearsay (noun): Information received from other people that one cannot adequately substantiate.
• Tattle (noun/verb, informal): Gossip or idle talk.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Rumor" is not commonly used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its verbal use is typically as a transitive verb or in the passive voice.) - To be rumored to be/do something: A common passive construction. - She is rumored to be the next CEO.

Related Idioms

• "Where there's smoke, there's fire": This idiom suggests that if there are rumors ("smoke") about something, there is probably some truth ("fire") to them. It is often used in the context of rumors.
  • Everyone is talking about the scandal. You know what they say, where there's smoke, there's fire.

Noun

1. gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth

Verb

1. tell or spread rumors
   • It was rumored that the next president would be a woman