Definition

1. Noun:

   • A piece of information or a story that is passed from person to person but has not been verified as true; gossip. A rumour is often a mixture of truth and untruth, spreading informally by word of mouth or other means.

2. Verb:

   • To circulate or report a rumour. To tell or spread information or stories that are unverified.

Examples

• Noun:

  • A rumour about layoffs at the company caused anxiety among the staff.
  • I heard a strange rumour that the old library is haunted.

• Verb:

  • It was rumoured that the famous actor was moving to our town.
  • People began to rumour that the product was unsafe.

Advanced Usage

• "Rumour has it (that)...": A common phrase used to introduce information that is being circulated informally.

  • Rumour has it that the manager is going to resign.

• "To start/spread a rumour": To be the origin of or to help circulate unverified information.

  • Someone started a malicious rumour to damage his reputation.

• "To quash/squelch a rumour": To stop a rumour from spreading, often by providing official information.

  • The company issued a statement to quash the false rumour.

Variants and Related Words

• Rumor: (noun/verb) The standard American English spelling of 'rumour'. The British English spelling is 'rumour'.

  • The rumor spread quickly through the school.

• Rumourmonger / Rumormonger: (noun) A person who habitually spreads rumours.

  • He is known as the office rumourmonger.

• Rumour mill: (noun, often hyphenated as 'rumour-mill') The process or source by which rumours are created and spread.

  • The political rumour mill was working overtime before the election.

Synonyms

• Gossip: Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as true.
• Hearsay: Information received from other people that one cannot adequately substantiate.
• Tattle: (noun) Gossip or idle talk.
• Whisper: (noun) A rumour or piece of gossip that is spread in a secret or private manner.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: 'Rumour' is not commonly used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its usage is typically as shown in the examples above.)

Related Idioms

• "Rumours are flying": Rumours are spreading very quickly and widely.

  • With the sudden CEO departure, rumours are flying about the company's future.

• "To be the subject of rumour": To be the person or thing that rumours are about.

  • The reclusive author has long been the subject of wild rumours.

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