grapevine

noun grape·vine \ ˈgrāp-ˌvīn \

Updated on: 25 Apr 2018

Definition of grapevine

1 : grape 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

See grapevine defined for English-language learners

See grapevine defined for kids

Recent Examples of grapevine from the Web

And word through the grapevine spread that Bulovas had struggled with his accuracy.

— rainer sabin, AL.com, "Up and good for Alabama kicker Joseph Bulovas at A-Day game," 21 Apr. 2018
Breaking the movie into distinct acts, Anderson weaves in an abundance of wry humor, such as Goldblum's character always having some titillating new gossip to share that he's picked up via the dog grapevine.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Isle of Dogs' scratches quirky itch with animated fantasy," 22 Mar. 2018
Bennett has 200,000 grapevines, and each of them requires about 6 gallons of water per week.

— zoë schlanger, Newsweek, "California Drought Could Dry Up Wineries," 6 Feb. 2014
With emerald green meadows, hillsides terraced with grapevines, and cranes and falcons flying overhead, Galilee looks nothing like a front line.

— noga tarnopolsky, latimes.com, "The bucolic north of Israel is relatively peaceful for now. But the specter of war is looming," 2 Mar. 2018
The school sells fruit trees, grapevines, and cacti cultivated on its 150 acres.

— Los Angeles Magazine, "These Local Farms and Gardens Are Feasts for the Eyes—and the Belly," 26 Feb. 2018
There are also lighted grapevine wreaths on the interior walls, from which the retreat takes its name.

— brian e. clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "At Sparta's Grapevine Log Cabins, a bed and breakfast comes with a side of a working dairy farm," 23 Feb. 2018
Long before grapevines carpeted every other rolling hill in the area, Paso Robles was about farming and hot springs.

— spud hilton, San Francisco Chronicle, "Learning the land: Agritourism a bumper crop for Paso Robles," 16 Feb. 2018
Across the country, vineyards are facing a double threat, because brown marmorated stinkbugs eat both grapes and grapevines.

— steven strogatz, The New Yorker, "When Twenty-Six Thousand Stinkbugs Invade Your Home," 8 Aug. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grapevine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of grapevine

circa 1736

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Grapevine

geographical name Grape·vine \ ˈgrāp-ˌvīn \

Definition of Grapevine

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

GRAPEVINE Defined for English Language Learners

grapevine

noun

Definition of grapevine for English Language Learners

: a climbing plant on which grapes grow
: an informal way of spreading information or rumors through conversation

Learn More about grapevine

See words that rhyme with grapevine Spanish Central: Translation of grapevine Nglish: Translation of grapevine for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of grapevine for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grapevine

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Grapevine

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