RUMOR


Meaning of RUMOR in English

ru ‧ mour BrE AmE British English , rumor American English /ˈruːmə $ -ər/ noun [uncountable and countable]

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: rumour , from Latin rumor ]

1 . information or a story that is passed from one person to another and which may or may not be true

rumour about/of

I’ve heard all sorts of rumours about him and his secretary.

rumour that

There’s an unsubstantiated rumour that Eddie is bankrupt.

2 . the rumour mill the people, considered as a group, who discuss something and pass rumours to each other:

His name has come up in the rumour mill as a possible director for the project.

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COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs

▪ a rumour spreads

A rumour spread that he had been killed.

▪ a rumour goes around ( also a rumour circulates formal ) (=a rumour is passed among people)

There are a lot of rumors going around that they’re going to sell the company.

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Not long afterwards, ugly rumours began to circulate.

▪ rumour has it (=it is being said)

Rumour has it that they plan to get married.

▪ rumours fly around (=are talked about by a lot of people)

There were wild rumours flying around the office on Wednesday.

▪ hear a rumour

I heard a rumour that she was leaving.

▪ spread a rumour

Someone has been spreading rumours about us.

▪ deny a rumour

He is denying rumors that he plans to drop out of the race.

▪ confirm a rumour (=say that it is true)

The actor’s agent would not confirm the rumour.

■ adjectives

▪ false/unfounded

He says that the rumours are completely unfounded.

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False rumors began to spread that troops were massing on the border.

▪ rumours are rife (=are talked about by a lot of people)

Rumours were rife that the band had refused to play.

▪ a widespread rumour

The arrests followed widespread rumours of police corruption.

▪ a persistent rumour (=one that keeps being repeated for a long time)

Despite persistent rumours of an affair, his wife stood by him.

▪ a strong rumour (=a rumour that is likely to be true)

There is a strong rumour that the government is planning to drop the idea.

▪ a wild rumour (=one that is completely untrue)

It has been a week of wild rumour and exaggeration.

▪ a malicious rumour (=a false one that someone spreads to make trouble)

The claims were dismissed by the government as ‘malicious rumours’.

▪ an ugly/nasty rumour (=a rumour about something bad)

Ugly rumours persisted that there had been a cover-up.

▪ an unsubstantiated rumour (=one that has not been proved to be true)

These are only unsubstantiated rumours.

▪ a scurrilous rumour formal (=a damaging and false rumour)

Journalists spread scurrilous rumours about the school.

▪ wild rumours (=rumours that are not likely to be true)

This led to wild rumours of American involvement in the attack.

■ COMMON ERRORS

► Do not say 'a rumour spreads out' . Say a rumour spreads .

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THESAURUS

▪ rumour British English , rumor American English noun [uncountable and countable] information or a story that is passed from one person to another and which may or may not be true:

The band denied the rumours that they may be splitting up.

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The truth finally came out after months of rumour.

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I've heard rumours about a ghost in the building.

▪ speculation noun [uncountable] a situation in which a lot of people are talking about something that is happening, especially something that is happening in politics or public life, and trying to guess what the truth is:

There was a great deal of speculation about a possible merger involving Belgium’s largest banks.

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The report fuelled speculation (=caused more speculation) that he was about to resign.

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His future as a player has been the subject of intense speculation.

▪ gossip noun [uncountable] things that people say about what they think has happened in other people's private lives, which is usually not true :

She tells me all the latest gossip from the office.

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The magazine was full of gossip about celebrities.

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You shouldn't believe every piece of gossip you hear.

▪ talk noun [uncountable] something that people talk about a lot but which is not official:

The government has dismissed talk of a military strike on the country.

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There's been a lot of talk of him resigning.

▪ hearsay noun [uncountable] something that you have heard from someone else, but cannot prove whether it is true or untrue – often used in legal contexts:

All the accounts were based on hearsay rather than eye-witness reports.

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hearsay evidence

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.