Meaning & use
Grapevine
Last updated
A climbing woody vine that produces grapes; informally, an unofficial route by which gossip or information spreads.
See it in a sentence
The gardener trained the grapevine along a wooden trellis.
She heard through the grapevine that the company was planning layoffs.
A note on using this word
The idiom "heard it through the grapevine," popularized by the classic Motown song, refers to information passed informally between people.
Words with a similar meaning
rumor mill
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. noun
An informal network through which rumors, gossip, or news circulates
News of the merger spread quickly through the office grapevine.
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