rumour
gb/ɹˈumɚ/ us/ɹˈumɚ/
B1
Inglês
~ 8800
Aceções
0 aceções
Nome
B1
entity
1
unverified story people are saying
A story or piece of information that many people talk about, but it may not be true and is not official.
Padrão de uso:
a rumour that [clause]
Erro comum:
Learners often confuse 'rumour' with 'gossip'. 'Rumour' is usually about one story or piece of information, while 'gossip' is general talk about people’s private lives. Another common mistake is spelling: British English uses 'rumour', while American English uses 'rumor'. Also, learners sometimes say *'a rumour about that she will leave'* instead of the correct patterns 'a rumour that she will leave' or 'a rumour about her leaving'.
Sinónimos
gossip (Often focuses on personal or private details about people and can sound more negative or childish than 'rumour'.)
|
speculation (Sounds more formal and suggests guessing or thinking about possible explanations, not just passing along a story.)
Antónimos
fact (Something that is known to be true and can be proven, unlike a rumour.)
|
confirmation (Official or reliable proof that something is true, which a rumour does not have.)
Colocações
spread a rumour
|start a rumour
|deny a rumour
|unfounded rumour
|persistent rumour
|wild rumour
Temas
communication
|social
|media
|work
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- There’s a rumour that the company might move its offices to London.
- She denied the rumour that she was leaving the team.
- The rumour spread quickly through the school before anyone checked if it was true.
- I don’t believe the rumour about them breaking up; it sounds made up.
- By Monday morning, the rumour had reached everyone in the building.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- There is a rumour that our teacher will leave.
- I heard a rumour about my friend, but I do not believe it.
- People like to spread rumours on social media.
- The rumour is not true, but many people think it is.
- He started a rumour, and now everyone is talking about it.
Verbo
B2
action
2
to report something unofficially
To say something about a person or thing, without proof and not officially, so that it becomes a rumour.
Padrão de uso:
it is rumoured that [clause]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes try to use the active form with a person as the subject, like *'People rumour that he will quit.'* In modern English, 'rumour' as a verb is most often used in the passive form: 'It is rumoured that…' or 'He is rumoured to…'. Also, do not say *'It is rumoured how he will quit'*; use 'that' or an infinitive: 'It is rumoured that he will quit' or 'He is rumoured to quit.'
Sinónimos
speculate (Focuses more on guessing or forming an opinion without full information, while 'rumour' stresses that the information is being passed around.)
|
whisper (Suggests speaking quietly or secretly; when used about news, it can imply spreading rumours in a secretive way.)
Antónimos
confirm (Means to show or say officially that something is true, the opposite of passing on unverified information.)
|
announce (Means to say something officially and clearly in public, unlike the unofficial nature of 'rumouring'.)
Colocações
it is rumoured that
|be widely rumoured
|rumoured to be
|rumoured affair
|rumoured plans
Temas
communication
|media
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- It is rumoured that the prime minister will call an early election.
- The actress is rumoured to be working on a new film trilogy.
- Their separation was widely rumoured long before they spoke about it publicly.
- In the city, it was rumoured that the old factory would be turned into luxury flats.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- It is rumoured that the company will close next year.
- The player is rumoured to be very unhappy at his club.
- Their wedding date is rumoured to be in June.
- In the office, it was rumoured that our boss might move to another country.
Nome
literary
C2
event
3
distant low continuous sound
A low, steady sound from far away, made by many voices or things together.
Padrão de uso:
the rumour of [something]
Erro comum:
Learners may think this meaning is the same as the common meaning of 'rumour' as unverified information. In this literary sense, it refers to a sound, not to information or stories. It is rare in modern everyday English and mostly found in older or literary texts.
Sinónimos
murmur (Very similar in meaning, but 'murmur' is more common in modern English and not as literary as this sense of 'rumour'.)
Antónimos
silence (The complete absence of sound, the opposite of a low continuous background noise.)
Colocações
the distant rumour of traffic
|the low rumour of voices
|the soft rumour of the crowd
Temas
sound
|literature
|nature
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- Through the open window came the distant rumour of traffic on the main road.
- Only the soft rumour of the crowd broke the evening calm.
- They walked in silence, listening to the low rumour of voices from the village below.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- I heard the soft rumour of people talking outside.
- The rumour of the city traffic never stopped at night.
- We could hear the low rumour of the crowd in the stadium.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
rumour
IPA
GB/ɹˈumɚ/
US/ɹˈumɚ/
Sílabas e acento
ru - mour (2 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (ru)
Formas da palavra
Noun
- Base: rumour
- Variant Spelling: rumor
- Plural: rumour, rumours
Verb
- Base: rumour
- Variant Spelling: rumor
- 3rd Person Singular: rumours
- Present Participle: rumouring
- Past: rumoured
Família de palavras
Forms
Destaques
- Spelling Variant: rumor Verb
- Spelling Variant: rumor Noun
Expressões
deny a rumour
1/dɪnˈaɪ ə ɹˈumɚ/
fixed phrase
say a rumour is not true
To say clearly and often officially that a rumour is not true.
Exemplos
- The company denied the rumour that it planned to cut jobs.
- His agent quickly denied the rumour about his retirement.
dismiss a rumour
1/dɪsmˈɪs ə ɹˈumɚ/
fixed phrase
reject a rumour as untrue
To say that a rumour is not true or not important and should not be believed.
Exemplos
- Officials dismissed the rumour as completely false.
- She dismissed the rumour with a laugh and changed the subject.
fuel rumours
1/fjˈul ɹˈumɚz/
fixed phrase
make rumours grow stronger
To make people talk more about rumours, often by doing something that makes the rumours seem more likely.
Exemplos
- His silence only fuelled rumours that he was about to resign.
- The photo on social media fuelled rumours of a secret wedding.
rumour has it (that)
1/ɹˈumɚ hˈæz ˈɪt ðˈæt/
idiom
people are saying this rumour
People say that something is true, but there is no official proof.
Exemplos
- Rumour has it that the band is getting back together next year.
- Rumour has it she’s been offered a job in New York.
rumour mill
1/ɹˈumɚ mˈɪl/
idiom
place or system that produces rumours
The situation, place, or people where many rumours are created and shared.
Exemplos
- With social media, the rumour mill never stops turning.
- The office rumour mill went wild after the email from the CEO.
spread a rumour
1/spɹˈɛd ə ɹˈumɚ/
fixed phrase
tell many people a rumour
To tell a rumour to many people so that more and more people know it.
Exemplos
- Someone spread a rumour about him cheating on the exam.
- Please don’t spread that rumour; you don’t know if it’s true.
start a rumour
1/stˈɑɹt ə ɹˈumɚ/
fixed phrase
create and begin a rumour
To be the first person to make up a rumour and tell it to others.
Exemplos
- Who started the rumour that the shop was closing?
- She admitted that she had started the rumour as a joke.
unfounded rumour
1/ʌnfˈaʊndɪd ɹˈumɚ/
fixed phrase
rumour with no real basis
A rumour that has no proof or good reason behind it and is probably not true.
Exemplos
- The school said the story was an unfounded rumour.
- Many unfounded rumours were shared online during the crisis.