word of mouth

noun

1. informal oral communication:

   The rumor spread rapidly by word of mouth.

Other Words From

• word-of-mouth adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of word of mouth¹

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

This soon spills over into the counterfeits sold in the unlicensed arena: Social media and word of mouth.

From BBC

More than 500 workers turned up at the KIWA’s event, several hundred more than initially expected as word of the government program and the registration clinic spread by word of mouth.

From Los Angeles Times

So I took an old-school approach, piecing together my own trail through word of mouth, knocking on doors, and sending handwritten letters to potential sources.

From BBC

I'm a linguist who studies "word of mouth," or what people tell each other about their experiences.

From Salon

“You had to have a great positive first experience if you’re going to build the brand on word of mouth,” MacFarlane said.

From Los Angeles Times