MEANING
To talk about other people's private affairs, often using unverified information.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- gossip about colleagues
- idle gossip
On the page
They gossiped about the resignation before any statement appeared.
Word forms
- Base
- gossip
- Past tense
- gossiped
- Past participle
- gossiped
- Present participle
- gossiping
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- gossip
- Present continuous
- am/is/are gossiping
- Present perfect
- have/has gossiped
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been gossiping
- Past
- gossiped
- Past continuous
- was/were gossiping
- Past perfect
- had gossiped
- Past perfect continuous
- had been gossiping
- Future
- will gossip
- Future continuous
- will be gossiping
- Future perfect
- will have gossiped
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been gossiping
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: gossip; gossips; gossiped; gossiped; gossiping Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: gossips.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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