# gossip

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡɒsɪp/ · frequency rank #8,547

## Definitions
1. Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.
2. Idle talk about someone’s private or personal matters, especially about someone not present.
3. Idle conversation in general.
4. A genre in contemporary media, usually focused on the personal affairs of celebrities.
5. Communication done using a gossip protocol.
6. A sponsor; a godfather or godmother; the godparent of one's child or godchild, or the parent of one's godchild.
7. A familiar acquaintance.
8. Title used with the name of one's child's godparent or of a friend.

## Etymology
From Middle English godsybbe, godsib (“a close friend or relation, a confidant; a godparent”), from Old English godsibb (“godparent, sponsor”), equivalent to god + sib. Doublet of godsib. For sense evolution to "gossip, discussing others' personal affairs," compare French commérage.

## Easily confused with
- **goss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/goss-vs-gossip)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ggossip`, `gosip`, `gosisp`, `gossipp`, `gosspi`, `gsosip`, `ogssip`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gossip