What does gossipping mean?
Gossipping means talking with other people about their personal lives, often in a casual, intrusive, or unkind way. As a verb, it describes the activity of exchanging such talk: someone might say that coworkers were gossipping about a colleague. As a noun, gossipping refers to the talk itself, with expressions such as “constant gossipping” and “idle gossipping.” The word usually has a mildly negative or disapproving tone because it suggests that private information is being discussed, circulated, or distorted. Nevertheless, it can also be used more neutrally for ordinary informal chat among friends. Gossipping is common in everyday British and American English but is unsuitable for formal contexts when it implies spreading secrets or speaking critically about absent people.
To talk casually or unkindly about other people's personal affairs.
"They were gossipping about the new neighbors."
The word is informal and often implies that the talk is intrusive or malicious.
Casual or unkind talk about other people's personal affairs; the activity itself.
"There was too much gossipping in the office."
Usually uncountable and commonly negative in connotation.
Gossipping is normally an uncountable noun; plural forms are uncommon.
"The separate gossipings of the two groups gradually became the subject of wider discussion."
Gossipping began as a word for family connection: its Old English ancestor meant “godfather,” before it came to mean the talk people share about one another.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gossipping come from?
Gossipping is derived from “gossip,” which originally meant a godfather or a relative connected through marriage. In Old English, its ancestor was “godsibb,” formed from “god” and “sib,” a word meaning relative or kin. By the early modern period, “gossip” had developed into a word for idle talk about other people, and “gossipping” came to denote that activity.
How gossipping is actually used
Gossipping is informal and commonly carries a negative connotation, suggesting talk that is idle, intrusive, or unkind. It can be less negative when it simply means friendly informal conversation among friends or colleagues.
Easily confused with gossipping
Gossipping is the activity of talking about other people's personal affairs, whereas gossip can refer either to that talk or to a person who spreads it.