noun / verb
tattle
Idle talk about other people's private affairs.
I ignore the office tattle about my coworkers' private lives.
Etymology
Tattle is an expressive word associated with chatter. It developed the familiar sense of idle talk or the revealing of others' private affairs.
More examples
- They tattle about their neighbors' marriages over coffee.
- She dismisses the rumors about their breakup as mere tattle.
- He has no patience for tattle about other people's finances.
Forms
tattle · tattles · tattled · tattling
Similar words
- gossip
- Gossip is the usual term and can include unverified rumors.
- scuttlebutt
- Scuttlebutt emphasizes circulating rumors, especially within a workplace or group.