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
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Antetokounmpo will be the subject of trade rumors yet again in the offseason.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Taking the stage at Pier 29 ahead of their Super Bowl pregame performance Sunday, Armstrong had a message for the ICE agents rumored to be patrolling the football game at Levi’s Stadium.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rumor
Noun
In Salt Lake City, rumors about a potential ICE detention facility sparked a protest outside the warehouse that was reportedly being toured by Homeland Security officials.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
Antetokounmpo will be the subject of trade rumors yet again in the offseason.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
Wisdom had been recently rumored to be in the mix.
—Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Taking the stage at Pier 29 ahead of their Super Bowl pregame performance Sunday, Armstrong had a message for the ICE agents rumored to be patrolling the football game at Levi’s Stadium.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rumor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rumor
Noun
-
This brought back family gossip and hesitant bits of information about my mother’s beloved grandfather, my maternal great-grandfather.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
-
In the early 2000s, there was a viral gossip report that Thornton and the Tomb Raider star drank each other’s blood.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Robinson’s attorneys have ramped up claims of bias as the case has advanced, even accusing news outlets of using lip readers to deduce what the defendant is whispering to his attorneys during court hearings.—
Matthew Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
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Her lips moved only to whisper to herself.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Saudi Arabia’s goal to build a local defense industry is making progress but needs to overcome constraints on investment, talent, and technology, according to a report by think tank Azure Strategy.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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The debut model is expected to offer a driving range of about 248 miles (400 kilometres) on China’s standard test cycle, according to reports.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Brad Arnold, the 47-year-old cofounder and lead singer of the Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down, died Saturday, nine months after revealing a diagnosis of kidney cancer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
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Lest he be dismissed as a flighty lefty, Danbank revealed some details about his family’s political history.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Some of those talks have sidelined antitrust chief Gail Slater, who inherited the Live Nation case from the Biden administration but has pursued it toward a trial set for March.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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Pezeshkian, who ordered Araghchi to pursue talks with the Americans after likely getting Khamenei’s blessing, also wrote on X on Sunday about the talks.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Manufacturing posted an upside surprise, hinting that hiring may be stabilizing in parts of the economy that had struggled through much of 2025.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
More than a month later, single-stair advocates are still waiting on that report — though a draft version obtained by CalMatters hints that the office may be considering a modest change to the state building code.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Smith said her testimony was second-hand hearsay.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
23 Jan. 2026
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Former special counsel Jack Smith repeatedly sidestepped pointed questions about the credibility of January 6 committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson, despite previously acknowledging her most explosive claims amounted to secondhand hearsay.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When rumors about her husband begin to circulate, Rulla is forced to confront uncomfortable questions that challenge her beliefs, resilience and commitment, putting her personal life under an unrelenting spotlight.—
Catherine Messier,
The Providence Journal,
5 Feb. 2026
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Conservatives circulated a 2024 report showing the company hosted 102 diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging training sessions in 2023 and the beginning of 2024.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rumor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rumor. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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