Meaning & use
the rumormonger
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who spreads unverified or false stories about other people.
Grammar: Countable noun; the plural is 'rumormongers'. Use 'the' for a specific person already mentioned or understood.
Patterns
- a rumormonger spreads something
- call someone a rumormonger
- the rumormonger behind something
The rumormonger in our office told everyone that the manager was quitting.
She was labeled a rumormonger after repeating a story she had never checked.
Every small town seems to have its own rumormonger who knows everyone's business.
Word forms
| plural | rumormongers |
|---|
Common combinations
- spread rumors
- He likes to spread rumors about his neighbors.
- malicious rumormonger
- The article described him as a malicious rumormonger.
- office rumormonger
- The office rumormonger always knows who is dating whom.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gossip
- Gossip is more general and can be a person who talks about others' private lives; rumormonger emphasizes spreading unverified stories.
- tattler
- A tattler tells on others, often to someone in authority; a rumormonger spreads stories to many people.
Commonly confused: the rumormonger or rumor?
the rumormonger vs rumor
Rumor is the story being spread; a rumormonger is the person who spreads it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'the rumormonger' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'The rumormonger' is a person, so it can spread news. Option 1 treats it as a report, option 2 misses the article 'a', and option 3 uses it as a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the rumormonger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.