gossip

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. busybody, talebearer, chatterer; reports, rumors. —v. i. talk, report, tattle, whisper. See curiosity, information, speech, news.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Local, petty talk]

Syn. babble, chatter, meddling, small talk, malicious talk, whispering gallery, hearsay, rumor, scandal, news, slander, calumny, defamation, injury, blackening, grapevine*, grapevine telegraph*.

2. [One who indulges in petty talk]

Syn. snoop, meddler, tattler, newsmonger, gossipmonger, scandalmonger, scandal-bearer, backbiter, magpie, chatterbox, talkative person, babbler, bigmouth, blatherskite, parrot*, long-nose*, sticky-beak*, blabbermouth*, telltale*, old hen*, fuss-budget*, Mrs. Grundy*, gabbler*.

v.

Syn. tattle, prattle, tell tales, talk idly, chat, chatter, rumor, report, tell secrets, blab, babble, repeat, prate, spread a story all over town, dish the dirt*.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. rumors hearsay, chatter, talk, scandal, *dirt, *lowdown, *scuttlebutt, report, mudslinging, *grapevine, *small talk, *buzz. ''Foul whisperings.''—Shakespeare. ''Murder by language.''—Roland Barthes.

2. rumormonger tattler, tattletale, *big mouth, *blabbermouth, busybody, snoop, prattler

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. Idle, often sensational and groundless talk about others: gossipry, hearsay, report, rumor, talebearing, tattle, tittle-tattle, word. Slang: scuttlebutt. See WORDS. 2. A person habitually engaged in idle talk about others: blab, gossiper, gossipmonger, newsmonger, rumormonger, scandalmonger, tabby, talebearer, taleteller, tattle, tattler, tattletale, telltale, whisperer. Slang: yenta. See WORDS. II verb To engage in or spread gossip: blab, noise, rumor, talk, tattle, tittle-tattle, whisper. Idioms: tell tales, tell tales out of school. See WORDS.