grapevine

noun

grape·​vine ˈgrāp-ˌvīn 

1

: grape sense 2

2

a

: an informal person-to-person means of circulating information or gossip

heard it through the grapevine

b

: a secret source of information

Examples of grapevine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While no infected plants were sold in Marin County this month, Deviney said the county is still searching for grapevines sold to customers in the May shipment and urged residents to call his office for inspections. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 29 June 2026

Adult Japanese beetles feed on about 300 different species of ornamental plants, but especially favor roses, grapevines and crabapple, cherry and linden trees. — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026

Bos heard through the grapevine that other contenders for the job were located seven hours away. — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 23 June 2026

Up to 13,000 grapevine plants potentially infected by the bacteria have been sold across a total of 24 Northern and Central California counties, the CDFA said. — Seamus Bozeman follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grapevine

• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• benzidine
• borderline
• byzantine
• calamine
• caroline
• centerline

Kids Definition

grapevine

noun

grape·​vine ˈgrāp-ˌvīn 

1

: grape sense 2

2

: an unofficial means of spreading information or gossip from person to person

Geographical Definition

Grapevine

geographical name

Grape·​vine ˈgrāp-ˌvīn 

city in northern Texas northeast of Fort Worth population 46,334