rumored

1. 1
   not provenadjective

   Widely reported or talked about, but not backed by strong evidence.

   The rumored merger between the two banks dominated business news for weeks.

   She dismissed the rumored feud as nothing more than tabloid invention.

   Similaralleged, supposed, reputed, purported

   Oppositeconfirmed, verified

   Note

   Placed before a noun, the participle becomes a label of doubt: rumored losses, a rumored net worth of $72 million. Tom Kludt's 2014 CNN report on a teen stock trader shows the word earning its keep, because the figure was only rumored and the story soon unraveled. As an adjective it can even be graded (more rumored, most rumored), something the plain past form cannot do.

2. 2
   spread as gossipverb

   Simple past and past participle of rumor.

   It was rumored that the minister would resign before the election.

   The deal had been rumored for months before it was announced.

   Note

   The past form of a verb that is usually transitive and carries the American spelling. Its natural home is the passive: it was rumored that the minister would resign. That construction reports the talk while leaving its source unnamed. Active use, with the gossips as subject (locals rumored that…), is possible but less common.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2