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gossip

Pronunciation: /ˈgɒsɪp/

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Definition of gossip

noun

[mass noun]
  • casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details which are not confirmed as true:he became the subject of much local gossip
  • [count noun] a conversation about other people; an instance of gossiping:she just comes round here for a gossip
  • [count noun] chiefly derogatory a person who likes talking about other people’s private lives.

verb (gossips, gossiping, gossiped)

[no object]
  • engage in gossip:they would start gossiping about her as soon as she left

Derivatives

gossiper

noun

gossipy

adjective

Origin:

late Old English godsibb, 'godfather, godmother, baptismal sponsor', literally 'a person related to one in God', from god 'God' + sibb 'a relative' (see sib). In Middle English the sense was 'a close friend, a person with whom one gossips', hence 'a person who gossips', later (early 19th century) 'idle talk' (from the verb, which dates from the early 17th century)

Spelling rule

Do not double the final consonant when adding endings which begin with a vowel to a word which ends in a vowel plus a consonant, if the stress is not at the end of the word (as in target): (gossips, gossiping, gossiped).

gossip in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of gossip in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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