2. rumor, report, gossip, hearsay, Inf. scuttlebutt, scandal; small talk, chitchat.
-v. 3. hum, murmur, bombilate, bombinate, whisper; whizz, whir, wheeze, sibilate, hiss, fizzle, sizzle.
4. gossip, spread rumors; talk idly, chitchat, chatter, palaver, prate, gabble, Inf. gab.
by, prep. 1. near, next to, beside, abreast of, Dial. aside of; through, through the agency of, under the aegis or auspices of; by way of, via, over, along, on; not later than, before, at.
-adv. 2. near, at hand, in the immediate vicinity; past, beyond; aside, to one side, away, out of the way.
3.
by and large in general, for the most part, on the whole; as a rule, usually, most of the time.
bygone, adj. past, departed, dead, gone by, former, previous; old, ancient, obsolete, extinct; out of date, outdated, antiquated, passe, outmoded,
by-name, n. surname, cognomen, appellation; nick