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Gossip vs Hearsay - What's the difference?

gossip | hearsay | Synonyms |

Hearsay is a synonym of gossip.



As nouns the difference between gossip and hearsay

is that gossip is someone who likes to talk about someone else’s private or personal business while hearsay is information that was heard by one person about another.

As a verb gossip

is to talk about someone else's private or personal business, especially in a way that spreads the information.

gossip

English

(wikipedia gossip)

Noun

(en noun)
  • Someone who likes to talk about someone else’s private or personal business.
  • Idle talk about someone’s private or personal matters, especially someone not present.
  • *
  • *:"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."
  • A genre in contemporary media, usually focused on the personal affairs of celebrities.
  • *
  • *: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 snobocracydistilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.
  • (lb) A sponsor; a godfather or godmother.
  • *(John Selden) (1584-1654)
  • *:Should a great lady that was invited to be a gossip , in her place send her kitchen maid, 'twould be ill taken.
  • Synonyms

    * scuttle-butt * See also

    Verb

  • To talk about someone else's private or personal business, especially in a way that spreads the information.
  • To talk idly.
  • Synonyms

    * (sense, talk about someone else's private or personal business) blab, talk out of turn, tell tales out of school

    References

    * ----

    hearsay

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • information that was heard by one person about another
  • (legal) evidence based on the reports of others rather than on personal knowledge; normally inadmissible because not made under oath
  • (legal) evidence: an out-of-court statement offered in court for the truth of the matter asserted; normally inadmissible because not subject to cross-examination, unless the hearsay statement falls under one of the many exceptions
  • Synonyms

    * report * rumor * common talk * gossip

    See also

    * hear * as they say * you know what they say * so they say