Basic Guidelines For English Spellings
READ THESE ARTICLESnoun
mass noun1Casual 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’- ‘However, members of the public reading the caption would think it was true and that the gossip he reported was accurate.’
- ‘It's still uncertain if the damaging gossip is true, but if it were, I would only respect Sharon that much more!’
- ‘It all became as terrible as completely true gossip would be.’
- ‘Hopefully I will find easy wireless access and have some fun gossip to report.’
- ‘His survival depends on audiences who will not accept fact-free reporting and who recognize gossip packaged in legalese.’
- ‘After that incident, I immediately wrote an article to discuss the issue and asked the media not to report too much gossip.’
- ‘Consequently, we kept our daily reports clear of any gossip or personal information.’
- ‘While it is true that set gossip is often exaggerated, it's amazing how often stories turn out to be completely true.’
- ‘It's a fast read with lots of insider details and gossip.’
- ‘Once the local gossip was out of the way, she took to her usual habit of saying, ‘So what's new?’’
- ‘One might think that they were there for an arisan (monthly social gathering) to catch up with the local gossip.’
- ‘Perhaps the most remarkable comment made by the source was when he referred to what he said was a popular theory in the current round of local gossip.’
- ‘Adam was talking to the owner of the apartment block once we'd moved in, and found out some of the local gossip about the residents.’
- ‘The pilgrim was a good man, and innocent in his way, and sitting down to rest in the market square, he listened to the local gossip.’
- ‘Friendly newsagent Lynda, who is a runner in her spare time, keeps me up to date on the local athletics gossip.’
- ‘It was the place you'd go to hear the local gossip, have a quiet pint, watch a game on TV, or read the paper.’
- ‘Those in tune with local film gossip have been waiting for Hussain's vision to hit the big screen for a long time.’
- ‘The love triangle became the subject of local gossip and he was shattered.’
- ‘The population is skewed toward the seriously rich, with billionaires, according to the local gossip, having driven out the millionaires.’
- ‘Yes, but I must add it is mostly local gossip, the trial has yet to take place.’
chat, talk, conversation, chatter, heart-to-heart, tête-à-tête, powwow, blether, blatherView synonyms- 1.1count noun A conversation about other people; an instance of gossiping.‘she just comes round here for a gossip’
- ‘Radcliffe had always enjoyed a good gossip about the latest rumours on the circuit and was quite happy to share them with writers who had followed her since she was a teenager.’
- ‘Yeah, here comes the annoying whispers and gossips.’
- ‘She appears here as a more amiable figure, fond of a good gossip, and with an endless fund of stories.’
- ‘Quiet night tomorrow though, one of my best friends and co-conspirator in the Bridget Jones lifestyle, Charlotte, is coming round for a quiet night and a gossip.’
- ‘And a bracing four-mile walk on Saturday afternoon was well received and gave everybody an opportunity to get some fresh air and have a good gossip.’
- ‘We went to Paul's brother's for a BBQ last nite and it was lovely, its nice to have a gossip and relax, Paul as usual decided to drive, think its cause he loves the new car.’
- ‘The play tells the story of three widows who form The Cemetery Club, meeting every week to visit their late husbands, remember the good times and have a gossip.’
- ‘A good haircut and a gossip certainly improves the day.’
- ‘For an evening's entertainment, can I just recommend a good gossip?’
- ‘Dobpark Woods are pleasant and after a sandwich and a gossip with some other walkers, I set off through the riverside trees.’
- ‘Bumped into the him on the train for a half-hour gossip.’
- ‘Ursula was in for news again so we had a good gossip before the show and during the travel news, and sorted out a weekend for her to come over for dinner.’
- ‘I went round Laura's on Tuesday as I was bored and we had a little gossip.’
- ‘They are a chance to have a gossip about what's new on the internet.’
- ‘He was a sociable man and a popular figure in Newcastle, fond of a gossip on the Quayside or at the Exchange on Sandhill.’
- ‘Our dressing rooms were on the same floor as well, so we were constantly popping into each other's for a cup of tea and a gossip.’
- ‘My visit was to see The House of Commons and have a girly gossip with Melissa which I enjoyed immensely.’
- ‘Cameron usually plays football today, so I'll phone my mum and a girlfriend for a gossip.’
- ‘Many women enjoy sharing a good gossip with their hairdresser, and it works both ways.’
- ‘I still delight in the rare moments when just the two of us can get together for a gossip.’
tittle-tattle, tattle, rumour, rumours, whispers, stories, tales, canards, titbitsView synonyms - 1.2derogatory count noun A person who likes talking about other people's private lives.
- ‘He was, incongruously, an incurable gossip, careful to label rumour for what it was, but fascinated by it…’
- ‘The first gossips were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.’
- ‘The government encourages village snoops and urban gossips to volunteer their infinite time and darkest thoughts as a way of keeping the rest of us in line.’
- ‘Mean spirited gossips painted C.C. as a cold-blooded murderer but his dead brother would have been a more likely choice for that role.’
- ‘Also, I am totally intolerant of gossips and most annoying people.’
- ‘Because friends don't let friends get tagged as vicious gossips.’
- ‘This latest buzz on their crumbling relationship is only their press people conceding that the gossips have been right all along!’
- ‘Under Wareham's instruction, they walked down the lane to the home of the local gossip, Mrs. Haggerton.’
- ‘And my respect is never earned by idle-minded gossips, no matter how ancient they might be.’
- ‘Like so much of what's been reported about Lorna Moon, it was largely codswallop, the tittle-tattle of small town gossips.’
- ‘A list of six names was compiled by the gossips and rumour-mongers of Belgravia, among them key figures from high society - aristocracy, government ministers and film stars.’
- ‘The dichotomy that exists between reticent and proper small town papers and ruthlessly efficient small town gossips fascinates me.’
- ‘Oh, that poor woman, victim of small town gossips!’
- ‘He is one part charming, electric, shrewd, an engrossing teller of stories, a gossip - and one part beast.’
- ‘He was a horrible gossip, and his tales shifted from fact to fancy in the space of a minute.’
- ‘E. used to have the best job a gossip could hope for - telephone operator in a small town in the days of party lines.’
- ‘We've got replica handcuffs, manacles, thumb screws, a branding iron and even a scold's bridle, a metal head cage often used to punish and humiliate gossips to stop them from talking!’
- ‘There was more to titillate gossips; Queen Victoria instructed those servants so entrusted to place a lock of John Brown's hair and his photograph in her coffin at her death in 1901.’
- ‘But when it comes to protecting our peace and quiet, we Beggarsdalians make the Sicilians sound like a bunch of loud-mouthed gossips.’
- ‘Market gossips suggest there are up to half a dozen firms casting a serious eye over Rank.’
scandalmonger, gossipmonger, tattler, tittle-tattler, busybody, muckrakerView synonyms
verbgossips, gossiping, gossiped
[no object]Engage in gossip.
‘they would start gossiping about her as soon as she left’- ‘After the show we all sat in the bar and chatted and gossiped.’
- ‘They would have no one to cook for them, no one to clean, and no one to drive the buggy about town while they chatted and gossiped with their friends.’
- ‘The girls all gossiped and chatted, laughing really hard when Noah came to the door, and leaned on the frame.’
- ‘Today, I spent a long time at the hairdressers, gossiping with the staff and having my hair coloured and snipped and fiddled with.’
- ‘Taking a seat in a corner booth, we order a bottle of wine and begin gossiping away merrily.’
- ‘On the way home on the train, my brother read a racing form, my sister-in-law and I gossiped, and we were all grateful we didn't have to move.’
- ‘Some read, some gossiped, some just stared at the ads.’
- ‘Who ever thought I'd wish people gossiped about me more?’
- ‘Have you gossiped about one of those lunch girls behind her back?’
- ‘What people once gossiped about, they now pass over in silence.’
- ‘We laughed and drank more wine and gossiped about old colleagues, including one women who fell in love with a Cuban while holidaying in Havana.’
- ‘They worried about love, marriage and work, fussed about their children, gossiped and plotted.’
- ‘We gossiped for a while and when the music stopped, went to our room.’
- ‘They gossiped, bickered, laughed and fought - just as children do every day.’
- ‘I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy, nasty, selfish, or self-indulgent.’
- ‘Her sister Lee offered her support and then gossiped about her to Truman Capote and Cecil Beaton.’
- ‘He probably would have gossiped with Marcia, and tried to chat up David.’
- ‘We were also gossiping about people from school when Bella's cell phone rang.’
- ‘She jokes and gossips about some of his parliamentary colleagues, and though he doesn't join in, he does chuckle.’
- ‘Not just because she swears a lot, holds strident political views or gossips freely about the pomposity of certain Scottish theatre critics.’
spread rumours, spread gossip, circulate rumours, spread stories, tittle-tattle, tattle, talk, whisper, tell tales, muckrakechat, talk, converse, speak to each other, discuss things, have a talk, have a chat, have a tête-à-tête, have a conversation, engage in conversationView synonyms
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).
Pronunciation
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