mindmap root((谣言)) report is likely to suggest some ground for belief unless specifically qualified as false, untrue, or wild: it was common ~ that they were living together. rumor applies to a report that flies about, often gains in detail as it spreads, but lacks both an evident source and clear-cut evidence of its truth: unsubstantiated ~s that spread like wildfire. gossip applies primarily to the idle, often personal, chatter that is the chief source and means of propagating rumors or reports: wrote a ~ column for the local paper. hearsay stresses the source of a rumor or report as what is heard rather than what is seen or known directly: rumored by ~ to have a personal stake in the deal; and in its application to evidence retains this implication of indirect or imperfect knowledge of the facts: based his prosecution on ~ evidence.