Grapevine

English

Noun

Grapevine (plural Grapevines)

1. The plant, a vine of genus Vitis, on which grapes grow

   Although many grape vines have geographical names, those rarely reflect their real origin, if known at all

2. A rumor
3. An informal person-to-person means of circulating information or gossip.

   I heard on the grapevine that Jim will be leaving soon.

Synonyms

• (informal person-to-person means of circulating information): bush telegraph, jungle telegraph, rumor mill

Derived terms

• grapevine knot
• grapevine moth
• grapevine weevil
• hear something through the grapevine

Thesaurus

adviser, algae, announcer, annunciator, authority, autophyte, bean, bracken, brown algae, bruit, bush telegraph, buzz, canard, channel, climber, common talk, communicant, communicator, conferva, confervoid, creeper, cry, diatom, enlightener, expert witness, fern, flying rumor, fruits and vegetables, fucus, fungus, gossip, gossipmonger, grapevine telegraph, green algae, gulfweed, hearsay, herb, heterophyte, idea afloat, informant, information center, information medium, informer, interviewee, ivy, kelp, latrine rumor, legume, lentil, liana, lichen, liverwort, mold, monitor, moss, mouthpiece, mushroom, news stirring, newsmonger, notifier, on-dit, parasite, parasitic plant, pea, perthophyte, phytoplankton, pipeline, planktonic algae, plant families, press, public relations officer, publisher, puffball, pulse, radio, red algae, report, reporter, rockweed, roorback, rumble, rumor, rust, saprophyte, sargasso, sargassum, scuttlebutt, sea lentil, sea moss, sea wrack, seaweed, smut, source, spokesman, succulent, talk, television, teller, tipster, toadstool, tout, town talk, unconfirmed report, vetch, vine, whisper, witness, wort, wrack