HEARSAY Definition & Meaning

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hearsay

[ heer-sey ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one's direct knowledge:
I pay no attention to hearsay.
Synonyms: , , ,
an item of idle or unverified information or gossip; rumor:
a malicious hearsay.

adjective

of, relating to, or characterized by hearsay:
hearsay knowledge;
a hearsay report.

hearsay

/ ˈ��ɪəˌ��ɪ /

noun

gossip; rumour

hearsay

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.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of hearsay¹

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A spokesperson for eHarley Street, which provides remote management support to the partners, said they were "committed to delivering the highest standards of care" and described the allegations as "hearsay, fuelled by disgruntled ex-employees".

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Mr Farrell said the reportage of the Italian businessman's statements is "hearsay upon hearsay".

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This time it decided one of the documents involved inadmissable hearsay and the second would not have made any difference to the defence, had it known about it.

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It said that much of what had been put to it was inaccurate and based on second- or third-hand hearsay and that it fully refuted the insinuations made about the way it supported its clients.

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She said the decision not to do so "was a really fine balance" and she saw the concerns reported by doctors as "hearsay".

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