hearsay

[ heer-sey ]

noun

1. unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one's direct knowledge:

   I pay no attention to hearsay.

   Synonyms: tittle-tattle, babble, scuttlebutt, talk

2. an item of idle or unverified information or gossip; rumor:

   a malicious hearsay.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by hearsay:

   hearsay knowledge;

   a hearsay report.

hearsay

/ ˈhɪəˌseɪ /

noun

1. gossip; rumour

hearsay

1. Information heard by one person about another. Hearsay is generally inadmissible as evidence in a court of law because it is based on the reports of others rather than on the personal knowledge of a witness.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hearsay¹

First recorded in 1525–35; originally in phrase by hear say, calque of Middle French par ouïr dire

Example Sentences

All we are doing is hearing the whispers on the sidelines, the hearsay: 'That person has an agent, that person's playing up, that person's going on tour and my kid is left out, my child is playing a different position and they're only a striker.'

From BBC

Users love to recycle the “Media literacy is dead” joke when approaching art, and while our ability to correctly identify misinformation, propaganda, and hearsay isn’t gone entirely, it is dwindling.

From Slate

As a primer on his musical achievement, the show relies a lot on hearsay.

From Los Angeles Times

SPD’s response statement to the tort claim was breathtaking in its defensiveness: “The department will not respond to the personal attacks rooted in rough estimations of hearsay reflecting, at their core, individual perceptions of victimhood that are unsupported and — in some instances — belied by the comprehensive investigations that will no doubt ultimately be of record.”

From Seattle Times

Larry Droeger, who oversees juvenile cases as director of specialized prosecutions for the district attorney’s office, said while the Los Padrinos and Cross incidents raised concerns about the accuracy of probation reports, such documents are considered “hearsay” and would never be the sole basis for a criminal filing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• gossip