grapevine

noun grape·vine \ ˈgrāp-ˌvīn \

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

The affair was even crashed by a gaggle of Lollapalooza attendees who'd heard through the grapevine about a rager off the Blue Line.

— ryan smith, Chicago Reader, "Beyond the ‘Bernie bro’: Socialism’s diverse new youth brigade," 23 Aug. 2017
The rows of grapevines and tents were within spitting distance of the path of totality’s center.

— michael greshko, National Geographic, "What It Was Like to See a Total Solar Eclipse," 21 Aug. 2017
Finishing among the grapevines, Harford runners collected several bottles of wine as age-group awards.

— bill blewett, The Aegis, "Record field ran for wins, wine at Boordy Vineyards," 17 Aug. 2017
When complaints about management wind up on the office grapevine, unwelcome consequences frequently follow.

— tribune news service, OregonLive.com, "Office Coach: No good can come from badmouthing the boss to coworkers," 5 Aug. 2017
Denton has planted grapevines and hops at the fairgrounds.

— sheryl devore, Lake County News-Sun, "Something old, new at Lake County Fair," 23 July 2017
Back in the 19th century, before the phylloxera aphid destroyed European grapevines, aligoté was often intermingled with chardonnay in the best vineyards.

— eric asimov, New York Times, "Aligoté, Burgundy’s Other White Grape, Makes Its Case," 6 July 2017
This sequence included rock steps forward and back, added half and quarter turns, and included grapevines and full circles.

— nicole tsong, The Seattle Times, "You don’t have to be a country music fan to rock line dancing," 28 June 2017
Along the winding roads that cut through green hills laced with rows of grapevines, a sign emblazoned with a golden T marks the entrance to the 1,300-acre Trump Winery.

— katie rogers, New York Times, "In Washington, Trump Is Roasted. At His Winery, He’s Toasted.," 6 June 2017

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

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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