Meaning of Gossip | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A surname.
2. Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.
   countable
3. Idle talk about someone’s private or personal matters, especially about someone not present.
   uncountable
4. Idle conversation in general.
   uncountable
5. A genre in contemporary media, usually focused on the personal affairs of celebrities.
   uncountable
6. Communication done using a gossip protocol.
   countable, uncountable
7. A sponsor; a godfather or godmother; the godparent of one's child or godchild, or the parent of one's godchild.
   countable, historical, uncountable
8. A familiar acquaintance.
   countable, obsolete, uncountable
9. Title used with the name of one's child's godparent or of a friend.
   countable, obsolete, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Be careful what you say to him: he’s a bit of a gossip.”

“A losing Gamester, who is obliged to drive into the City to dispose of a little South Sea Stock, gives the Hint there. The Gossips at Garraway’s have it in a Moment: At One it is buzz’d on Change, and the circulating Whisper in the Boxes interrupts the Play at Night.”

“He was an arrant old gossip, too; for ever coming off in his canoe to the ships in the bay, and regaling their crews with choice little morsels of court scandal […]”

“Alf could tell you about everybody on both sides of Main Street. He was a vicious male gossip, insatiably curious and vindictive without malice.”

“According to the latest gossip, their relationship is on the rocks.”

“I have a juicy piece of gossip to share with you.”

“[…] the thing is certainly true. It is not a mere bit of gossip. We have it from Frederick himself.”

“I ought to arise and go forth with timbrels and with dances; but, do you know, I am not inclined to revels? There has been a little—just a very little bit too much festivity so far …. Not that I don’t adore dinners and gossip and dances; not that I do not love to pervade bright and glittering places.[…]”

“The smaller a town the more richly it hums with gossip. There are no private affairs here. Gossip is the air we breathe.”

“Intense nosiness about everybody had always existed in the area. Gossip washed in, washed out, came, went, moved on to the next target.”

“The parlor was always bright and attractive, the chessboard ready, the piano in tune, plenty of gay gossip, and a nice little supper set forth in tempting style.”

“a gossip columnist”

“a gossip blog”

“Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy—[…]—distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its flavor.”

“’tis not a maid, for she hath had gossips [i.e. she could not be a virgin, because she has children with godparents]”

“Should a great Lady, that was invited to be a Gossip, in her place send her Kitchen-Maid, ’twould be ill taken;”

“It seems, Miss, that if he stood not himself, or procur’d not Gossips for the Christening of the Children of his poorer Tenants, he always sent them a large rich Cake […]”

“When a man stood sponsor for a child at baptism, he became the child's godfather, and gossip to the parents.”

“Gossips accepted responsibility for the child's spiritual and physical well-being, […]”

“My noble gossips, ye have been too prodigal: I thank ye heartily;”

“What, ho, gossip Ford! what, ho!”

“He was old and infirm, he wrote, and Gossip Death was waiting for him on the moor; but before he went to join him he would like to see Susan’s boy again.”

CEFR level