noun
- unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one’s direct knowledge: I pay no attention to hearsay.
- 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.
noun
- gossip; rumour
1530s, perhaps mid-15c., from phrase to hear say.
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.