Meanings
present singular third person hears through the grapevine · participle present hearing through the grapevine · participle past heard through the grapevine · past heard through the grapevine
- idiomaticTo hear rumors; to learn through hearsay.
I heard through the grapevine that she likes him.
1 more example
I heard it through the grapevine / Not much longer would you be mine
1966, Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, I Heard It Through the GrapevineSynonyms: hear on the grapevine, hear on the bush telegraph
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo hear rumors; to learn through hearsay.
Origin
From the Grapevine, a telegraph line that ran from Placerville, California, to Virginia City, Nevada, beginning in 1859, and that was loosely strung from trees so that it curled like the vines of California grapes. In 1861 it was replaced by the Pacific Telegraph, which was strung from poles, and during the American Civil War "grapevine telegraph" became proverbialized to refer to poor and rumor-prone communications in areas cut off by the war.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish kuulla puskaradiosta
- kuulla puskaradiostalearn through rumors
German über die Buschtrommel hören, über die Buschtrommeln hören
- über die Buschtrommel hörenlearn through rumors
- über die Buschtrommeln hörenlearn through rumors
- durch die Buschtrommel hörenlearn through rumors
- durch die Buschtrommeln hörenlearn through rumors
- die Nachricht sprach sich herumlearn through rumors
- ich hab so was läuten hörenlearn through rumors
- über die Urwaldtrommel hörenlearn through rumors
Icelandic heyra á skotspónum, frétta á skotspónum
- heyra á skotspónumlearn through rumors
- frétta á skotspónumlearn through rumors
- heyra á utan að sérlearn through rumors
- frétta á utan að sérlearn through rumors
Spanish enterarse por “radio macuto”/radiobemba, oír decir
- enterarse por “radio macuto”/radiobembalearn through rumors
- oír decirlearn through rumors
Swedish höra via djungeltrumman
- höra via djungeltrummanlearn through rumors
Cite this entry
hear through the grapevine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hear%20through%20the%20grapevine
“hear through the grapevine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hear%20through%20the%20grapevine. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hear through the grapevine,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hear%20through%20the%20grapevine.
Source: hear through the grapevine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.