as in gossip
information or opinion that is widely disseminated without any authority or confirmation of accuracy
rumor has it that she's planning to shut down the company
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to whisper
to make (as a piece of information) the subject of common talk without any authority or confirmation of accuracy
for years people have been rumoring the CEO's imminent retirement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rumor
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 Apr. 2026
Minor leaguers often spend the month of July hearing rumors, eying unfamilar scouts watching, refreshing their social media pages for the latest.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2026
On January 7, Saman wrote me that two of her Afghan neighbors had just been arrested and sent to a deportation camp that was rumored to be filthy, cold, and overcrowded.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rumor
Noun
There were rumors that Swift and Brittany, the wife of Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes, had a falling out over differing political opinions.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 Apr. 2026
Minor leaguers often spend the month of July hearing rumors, eying unfamilar scouts watching, refreshing their social media pages for the latest.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
Analysts see it as a prime takeover target, and several pharma giants have been rumored as potential buyers.
—Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2026
On January 7, Saman wrote me that two of her Afghan neighbors had just been arrested and sent to a deportation camp that was rumored to be filthy, cold, and overcrowded.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rumor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rumor
Noun
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The confirmation came weeks after gossip blog DeuxMoi reported that Wilson and Batula were allegedly hooking up.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Apr. 2026
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On recess — and on camera As lawmakers headed out of Washington last week, the celebrity-gossip outlet TMZ put out a call.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Industry associates whispered to Vanity Fair in 1996 about Mottola adopting shady mobster tactics in his running of Sony, demanding loyalty and allegedly keeping a gun in his briefcase.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
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After Tomislav whispered in his ear, reporter Lauren Shehadi asked what his teammate said.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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An April 2 Challenger, Gray & Christmas report may have confirmed some of their fears.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
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Preliminary reports from the NTSB do not detail probable causes of crashes or any contributing factors.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Thirty-one years after winning Best Actor for Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks and the film’s cast are still revealing behind-the-scenes secrets — from a studio standoff over money to a prosthetic lip that nearly destroyed an actor’s career.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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Unlike Diana, Kate’s ‘Balmoral Test’ and subsequent visits might reveal her more durable alignment with the family’s dynamics, both in private and public.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But the proposal was full of cartoonishly goofy faux spy talk.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Pakistan said Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will send top diplomats to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the war, arriving Sunday for a two-day visit.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The same sneak peek shows Carmody evading her family's questions about when she will get married, hinting that her long engagement will be a focal point of the series.—
Catherine Messier,
The Providence Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
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But as the draft gets into the later rounds, Berry has hinted Cleveland could take a swing on another young signal-caller.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Rather than operating on hearsay or memory, both of which are highly fallible, a flowchart outlines precisely what each section of a team is doing and allows everyone to work together in greater synchrony.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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Calm sea and prosperous voyage—a dream for Goethe and Mendelssohn, for any parent, and perhaps for all men and women—was but a hearsay.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Town halls across O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, and Maui shaped the project, as did time spent at Native Books, a space where knowledge circulates through gathering and love.—
Wassan Al-Khudhairi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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In some cases, after a long-term infection, the virus is able to re-emerge and begin to circulate again, as seems to have happened in this case.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rumor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumor. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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