Definition of "gossip"

A losing Gamester, who is obliged to drive into the City to dispose of a little South Sea Stock, gives the Hint there. The Gossips at Garraway’s have it in a Moment: At One it is buzz’d on Change, and the circulating Whisper in the Boxes interrupts the Play at Night.

1752, Arthur Murphy, The Gray’s Inn Journal‎, volume 1, number 11, page 73

He was an arrant old gossip, too; for ever coming off in his canoe to the ships in the bay, and regaling their crews with choice little morsels of court scandal […]

1846, Herman Melville, “Sequel Containing the Story of Toby”, in Typee‎

Alf could tell you about everybody on both sides of Main Street. He was a vicious male gossip, insatiably curious and vindictive without malice.

1952, John Steinbeck, chapter 48, in East of Eden‎, London: Heinemann, page 456

[…] the thing is certainly true. It is not a mere bit of gossip. We have it from Frederick himself.

1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter XVIII, in Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. […], volumes (please specify |volume=III or IV), London: John Murray, […], 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818)

I ought to arise and go forth with timbrels and with dances; but, do you know, I am not inclined to revels? There has been a little—just a very little bit too much festivity so far …. Not that I don’t adore dinners and gossip and dances; not that I do not love to pervade bright and glittering places. […]

1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter II, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company

The smaller a town the more richly it hums with gossip. There are no private affairs here. Gossip is the air we breathe.

1980, J. M. Coetzee, chapter 2, in Waiting for the Barbarians‎, Penguin, published 1982, page 32

Intense nosiness about everybody had always existed in the area. Gossip washed in, washed out, came, went, moved on to the next target.

2018, Anna Burns, chapter 1, in Milkman‎, London: Faber & Faber

The parlor was always bright and attractive, the chessboard ready, the piano in tune, plenty of gay gossip, and a nice little supper set forth in tempting style.

1868–1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter 38, in Little Women: […], (please specify |part=1 or 2), Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers

Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy […] distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.

1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter I, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915

’tis not a maid, for she hath had gossips [i.e. she could not be a virgin, because she has children with godparents]

c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene i]

Should a great Lady, that was invited to be a Gossip, in her place send her Kitchen-Maid, ’twould be ill taken;

1689, John Selden, Table-Talk‎, London: Jacob Tonson et al., 1696, “Prayer”, page 134

It seems, Miss, that if he stood not himself, or procur’d not Gossips for the Christening of the Children of his poorer Tenants, he always sent them a large rich Cake […]

1742, [Samuel Richardson], Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded. […], volume III, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; and sold by C[harles] Rivington, […]; and J. Osborn, […], page 400

When a man stood sponsor for a child at baptism, he became the child's godfather, and gossip to the parents.

1908, Patrick Weston Joyce, A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland: Treating of the Government, Military System, and Law; Religion, Learning, and Art; Trades, Industries, and Commerce; Manners, Customs, and Domestic Life, of the Ancient Irish People, page 287

Gossips accepted responsibility for the child's spiritual and physical well-being, […]

2010, Susan E. Phillips, Transforming Talk: The Problem with Gossip in Late Medieval England, Penn State Press, page 154

My noble gossips, ye have been too prodigal:I thank ye heartily;

1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene v]

What, ho, gossip Ford! what, ho!

c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene ii]

He was old and infirm, he wrote, and Gossip Death was waiting for him on the moor; but before he went to join him he would like to see Susan’s boy again.

1905, William John Locke, chapter 11, in The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne‎

This Place then is no other than the Chandler’s Shop; the known Seat of all the News; or, as it is vulgarly called, Gossiping, in every Parish in England.

1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 4, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume I, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], book 2, page 66

Godfrey felt guilty at having gossiped to Olive about Lettie’s changes in her will.

1959, Muriel Spark, chapter 8, in Memento Mori‎, New York: Time-Life, 1964, page 109

[…] on seats beneath the trees, the old men group of an evening to drink their ale and gossip over village politics;

1889, Jerome K. Jerome, chapter 14, in Three Men in a Boat […] ‎

"Tut! tut! The unchanging woman. They gossiped in my time and they gossip still."

1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019

[…] a worldOf pretty, fond, adoptious christendoms [i.e. Christian names],That blinking Cupid gossips.

c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene i]

The Pleasure I used to take in telling my Boy Stories of the Battles, and asking my Girl Questions about the Disposal of her Baby, and the Gossiping of it, is turned into inward Reflection and Melancholy.

1709, Richard Steele, “No. 95 in The Lucubrations of Isaac Bickerstaff”, in The Tatler‎, London, 1712, page 282

[…] those baby eyesThat never saw the giant world enraged;Nor met with fortune other than at feasts,Full of warm blood, of mirth, of gossiping.

c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene ii]