talebearer

noun

ˈtāl-ˌber-ər How to pronounce talebearer (audio)
Definition of talebearernext
1
as in gossiper
a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others statehouse talebearers had long spread stories about the governor's extramarital affairs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing the teacher told him not to be such a talebearer, as she was quite capable of detecting student misbehavior on her own

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for talebearer
  1. gossiper
  2. informant
  3. gossip
  4. informer
  5. canary
Noun
  • Celebrity gossiper Rob Shuter reported that the two recently let go of a number of their staff.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Her staff figured out how to get rid of the gossiper.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2025
Definition of gossiper
Noun
  • Sentenced to life in prison, Buchanan maintained a grip over gangs in the South Bay area of San Diego, according to an FBI report of an informant’s interview.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Sguros was listed as the informant on West’s death certificate, and several months after the initial death investigation, was legally authorized to release West’s remains to a cremation service business.
    — Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of informant
Noun
  • In May, the gossip website Deuxmoi published allegations that Marc and Heidi had mismanaged Charli’s money.
    — Nancy Jo Sales, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Royal insiders told gossip columnist Rob Shuter that the meeting has even been confirmed.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of gossip
Noun
  • One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.
    — Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026
  • And so every regime invests in having student informers.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of informer
Noun
  • For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.
    — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Astronauts bring them on journeys to keep an eye on whether or not the water filtration systems are working, much the way miners used to take canaries down to the coal mines to check for poisonous gas leaks.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of canary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Talebearer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talebearer. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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