Definition & Meaning of "Chinese whispers"

Chinese whispers

a game where a message is passed secretly and rapidly from one person to another, often resulting in the message being distorted or changed unintentionally as it travels through the chain of participants

1.1

a situation where a message gets passed from one person to another, but it often gets changed along the way

Dialect

British

Example

The news article started as a straightforward report, but by the time it reached the third publication, it had turned into a classic case of Chinese whispers with inaccuracies and exaggerations.

The office gossip became a prime example of Chinese whispers as details of the story changed with each retelling.