GRAPEVINE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does grapevine mean? 

• GRAPEVINE (noun)
  The noun GRAPEVINE has 2 senses:

1. gossip spread by spoken communication

2. any of numerous woody vines of genus Vitis bearing clusters of edible berries

  Familiarity information: GRAPEVINE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GRAPEVINE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Gossip spread by spoken communication

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

grapevine; pipeline; word of mouth

Context example:

the news of their affair was spread by word of mouth

Hypernyms ("grapevine" is a kind of...):

comment; gossip; scuttlebutt (a report (often malicious) about the behavior of other people)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any of numerous woody vines of genus Vitis bearing clusters of edible berries

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

grape; grape vine; grapevine

Hypernyms ("grapevine" is a kind of...):

vine (a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface)

Meronyms (parts of "grapevine"):

grape (any of various juicy fruit of the genus Vitis with green or purple skins; grow in clusters)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grapevine"):

fox grape; Vitis labrusca (native grape of northeastern United States; origin of many cultivated varieties e.g. Concord grapes)

muscadine; Vitis rotundifolia (native grape of southeastern United States; origin of many cultivated varieties)

common grape vine; vinifera; vinifera grape; Vitis vinifera (common European grape cultivated in many varieties; chief source of Old World wine and table grapes)

Holonyms ("grapevine" is a member of...):

genus Vitis; Vitis (the type genus of the family Vitaceae; woody vines with simple leaves and small flowers; includes a wide variety of grapes)