rumourrumoursrumouredrumouringnoun★[countable , uncountable ]a piece of information, or a story, that people talk about, but that may not be true 谣言；传闻◆to start/spread a rumour制造╱散布谣言rumour(of sth) ◆There are widespread rumours of job losses.到处谣传要裁员。rumour(about sth) ◆Some malicious rumours are circulating about his past.有人别有用心地散布谣言，说他过去如何如何。rumour(that…) ◆I heard a rumour that they are getting married.我听到传闻，说他们要结婚了。◆Many of the stories are based on rumour.这些说法很多都是道听途说。◆Rumour has it(= people say)that he was murdered. 有传言说他被杀害了。verbbe rumouredto be reported as a rumour and possibly not true 谣传；传说it is rumoured that…◆It's widely rumoured thatshe's getting promoted. 到处都在传要提拔她了。rumourto be/have sth ◆He was rumoured to be involved in the crime.有传言说他卷入了这桩罪行。▶ru·moured/; NAmE/adjective[only before noun ]◆He denied his father's rumoured love affair.他否认他父亲被谣传的风流韵事。ru·mour/ˈruːmə(r); NAmEˈruːmər/ru·moured/; NAmE/
LDC
rumourru‧mour British English, rumor American English /ˈruːmə $ -ər/ ●●○ noun [countable, uncountable]
Word Origin
Examples
Thesaurus
Collocations
Phrases
1information or a story that is passed from one person to another and which may or may not be truerumour 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.2the 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.COLLOCATIONSverbsa 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.· 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.adjectivesfalse/unfounded· He says that the rumours are completely unfounded.· 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 ► Don’t say ‘a rumour spreads out’. Say a rumour spreads.THESAURUSrumour British English, rumor American English noun [countable, uncountable] 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.· The truth finally came out after months of rumour.· 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.· The report fuelled speculation (=caused more speculation) that he was about to resign.· 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.· The magazine was full of gossip about celebrities.· 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.· 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.· hearsay evidence
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.