# rumour

Pronunciation: UK/AUS say "ROO-muh" /ˈɹuːmə(ɹ)/; US say "ROO-mer" /ˈɹuːmɚ/

## Noun

1. A story or piece of information passed from person to person whose truth is uncertain and which cannot be traced to a reliable source; also, such talk in general.
   - Simple: Something people tell each other that may not be true, and that nobody can say for sure where it came from.
   - _A rumour began circulating that the factory would close before Christmas._
   - _The minister dismissed the reports as vicious rumours spread by her opponents._
6. A prolonged noise, too faint or confused to be heard clearly. *(literary)*
   - Simple: A long noise that you cannot hear clearly.
   - _Through the open window came the distant rumour of traffic on the motorway._
   - _Behind the door rose a rumour of voices, too faint to make out a single word._

## Verb

2. To report or spread something as unconfirmed talk, usually in the passive (be rumoured to, it is rumoured that).
   - Simple: To pass on a story about something, when nobody knows if it is true.
   - _The striker is rumoured to be close to signing for a club in Spain._
   - _It is widely rumoured that the Chancellor will raise fuel duty in the Budget._

## Noun

3. General news or report of something: whatever information has reached people about it. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: News about something, or what people have heard about it.
   - _For months no rumour of the lost expedition reached the families waiting at home, and many gave up hope._
   - _Rumour of the victory travelled from town to town ahead of the returning army._
4. The fame or reputation that a person or thing has among others. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Fame, or what people generally think of someone.
5. A loud uproar, whether noise in general, the shouting of a crowd, or a public protest. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Loud noise, or loud shouting and protest by people.

## Origin

English had rumour in the Middle English period, taken from Old French rumour or rumor. Behind it lies Latin rūmor, 'common talk', and ultimately the Proto-Indo-European root *rewH-, 'to shout, roar'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rumour (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).