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