Meaning & use
news
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
Information about recent events, especially as reported in newspapers, on television or online.
Grammar: Uncountable and takes a singular verb: the news is bad; use 'a piece of news', not 'a news'.
Patterns
- the news about something
- a piece of news
I read the news on my phone every morning.
The news from the front was grim.
Have you heard the news about the new bridge?
noununcountableinformal
A fact or event that is new to the person you are telling.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used in conversation: good news, bad news.
Patterns
- tell someone the news
- have some news
I have good news: we got the apartment.
She was devastated by the news of her friend's illness.
That's news to me; nobody mentioned a party.
nounsingular
A regular broadcast or program that reports current events.
Grammar: Singular and usually with the: watch the news.
Patterns
- watch the news
- the six o'clock news
We watch the news after dinner.
The evening news opened with a story on the floods.
He was interviewed on the late news.
Common combinations
- breaking news
- Breaking news: the bridge has reopened.
- good news
- The doctor had good news about the test results.
- bad news
- I'm afraid I have some bad news.
- news report
- A news report described the storm damage.
- fake news
- The article was dismissed as fake news.
- break the news
- She had to break the news to her parents.
Synonyms and how they differ
- information
- Information is any fact or data and need not be recent or reported, unlike news.
- report
- A report is one specific account of events, whereas news is the general category.
- tidings
- Tidings is a literary or old-fashioned word for news, often used in greetings.
- word
- Word is an informal way to say a message or piece of news, as in 'any word from her?'.
Word family
- newsworthy adjective
- interesting enough to report
- newspaper noun
- a daily or weekly printed report of events
- newsreader noun
- a person who reads the news on air
- newsletter noun
- a regular report sent to members of a group
- newsy adjective
- full of news
Commonly confused: news or new?
news vs new
New is an adjective, while news is a noun for reported events. Do not say 'a news' or 'many news'.
Practice
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose one answer.
News is uncountable and takes a singular verb. It has no plural and cannot take 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “news”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.