Meaning & use
through the grapevine
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
used about news or gossip that spreads informally from one person to another rather than from an official source.
Grammar: Usually follows verbs like hear, learn, or find out: I heard it through the grapevine.
Patterns
- hear something through the grapevine
- learn something through the grapevine
- find out through the grapevine
- word through the grapevine is that …
I heard through the grapevine that the office is moving to a new building.
She learned through the grapevine that her old teacher had retired.
Word through the grapevine is that tickets go on sale on Friday.
Common combinations
- hear something through the grapevine
- We heard through the grapevine that the concert was cancelled.
- learn something through the grapevine
- He learned through the grapevine that a job would soon open up.
- word through the grapevine
- The word through the grapevine is that prices are going up.
- find out through the grapevine
- They found out through the grapevine before the official announcement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- by word of mouth
- Focuses on spoken passing of information from person to person, without the idea of gossip or rumor that the grapevine often carries.
- rumor has it
- A fuller clause meaning people are saying something; it stresses that the information is unconfirmed, while through the grapevine stresses the informal route.
- unofficially
- A neutral adverb for information not yet announced; it lacks the friendly, chatty tone of through the grapevine.
Opposites
Word family
- grapevine noun
- Literally the plant that grapes grow on; also used alone for the informal way news spreads.
Commonly confused: through the grapevine or grapevine?
through the grapevine vs grapevine
The noun grapevine can stand alone with the same meaning ("I heard it on the grapevine"), but the full phrase is through the grapevine.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is "through the grapevine," and it normally follows hear. Option 2 breaks the sentence structure, option 3 uses the wrong preposition, and option 4 drops the article "the."
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “through the grapevine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.