student asking question

Isn't it "rumor" used negatively? But this context doesn't seem bad one.

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Great question. Rumor can be used in two ways, the first as you said, has some negative implications because it means the spreading of a story that could be true or untrue from person to person. However, the second meaning, which is being used in this clip, is a story which has been told but we have no way of checking if it is true. This is usually used for historical tales. Ex: A rumor has come out that the company is about to go bankrupt. Ex: Rumor is that the Egyptians used to bathe in goat milk.

Popular Q&As

04/19

Complete the expression with a quiz!