tale-bearing
Definition
- Noun:
- The act of spreading gossip or secrets: "tale-bearing" refers to the practice of carrying or reporting stories, often malicious or sensational, about others, typically with the intention of causing trouble or gaining advantage.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Her constant tale-bearing made her unpopular among her colleagues. (Her habit of spreading gossip about coworkers caused resentment.)
- The school discouraged tale-bearing among students to promote a more trusting environment. (The school forbade the reporting of petty stories to foster harmony.)
Advanced Usage
- "to engage in tale-bearing": to participate in the act of spreading gossip or secrets.
- He was warned not to engage in tale-bearing after he repeated a private conversation. (He was cautioned against relaying confidential information.)
Variants and Related Words
- Tale-bearer (n): a person who spreads gossip or secrets.
- The office tale-bearer was known for exaggerating stories to get attention. (The gossipy employee was recognized for embellishing narratives.)
- Tale-telling (n): an alternative term for tale-bearing, often used interchangeably.
- Their tale-telling caused unnecessary drama within the group. (Their gossipy behavior created conflict.)
Synonyms
- Gossip: casual or unconstrained conversation about others, often involving details not confirmed as true.
- Tattling: the act of reporting minor wrongdoings or secrets, especially by children, to an authority figure.
- Slander: the action of making false spoken statements that damage someone's reputation (more serious than tale-bearing).
Related Idioms
- To carry tales: to spread gossip or secrets.
- She was known to carry tales about her neighbors to anyone who would listen. (She habitually reported private information about others.)
- To tell tales out of school: to reveal confidential or private matters that should remain secret.
- By revealing the surprise party plans, he told tales out of school. (He disclosed a secret that was meant to be hidden.)