defamed; defaming
1
law
: to harm the reputation of by communicating false statements about : to harm the reputation of by libel (see libel entry 1 sense 2a) or slander (see slander entry 2 sense 2)
defamed her character
2
archaic
: accuse
defamed of witchcraft
3
archaic
: disgrace
defamer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of defame in a Sentence
He says he was defamed by reports that falsely identified him as a former gangster.
of course I want to win the election, but I refuse to defame my opponent in order to do so
Recent Examples on the Web
Bryan Freedman, the lawyer representing UTA in a clash over Michael Kassan’s departure from the agency, has prevailed in a lawsuit accusing him of defaming the MediaLink founder.
—
Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024
These accusations are not only baseless but are seen as deliberate attempts to defame his character and provoke unwarranted public outrage through mainstream media channels.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 21 May 2024
The court ultimately did not rule on the veracity of Lewis’ rape allegation against the filmmaker, but rather if Polanski had overstepped a free speech boundary and defamed Lewis in responding to her allegations.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2024
Agents got criticism removed from social media and discussed ways to defame political adversaries.
—Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 13 May 2024
Now, County Executive Bob Cassilly, apparently seeking political revenge, is using taxpayer dollars to defame the character of Sgt.
—Jeffrey Gahler, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2024
The biggest question for critics is why Bailey is using state resources to defend senators who allegedly defamed a private citizen.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
The lawsuit alleges Gibson defamed her and publicly disclosed private information about Mitchell and their daughter Shayla, 16, in a series of Instagram posts published between April 30 and May 7, according to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
Sandmann sued, saying the news coverage had unfairly defamed him.
—Andrew Wolfson, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024
These accusations are not only baseless but are seen as deliberate attempts to defame his character and provoke unwarranted public outrage through mainstream media channels.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 21 May 2024
The court ultimately did not rule on the veracity of Lewis’ rape allegation against the filmmaker, but rather if Polanski had overstepped a free speech boundary and defamed Lewis in responding to her allegations.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2024
Agents got criticism removed from social media and discussed ways to defame political adversaries.
—Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 13 May 2024
Now, County Executive Bob Cassilly, apparently seeking political revenge, is using taxpayer dollars to defame the character of Sgt.
—Jeffrey Gahler, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2024
The biggest question for critics is why Bailey is using state resources to defend senators who allegedly defamed a private citizen.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024
The lawsuit alleges Gibson defamed her and publicly disclosed private information about Mitchell and their daughter Shayla, 16, in a series of Instagram posts published between April 30 and May 7, according to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
Sandmann sued, saying the news coverage had unfairly defamed him.
—Andrew Wolfson, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defame.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near defame
Cite this Entry
“Defame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defame. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
defame
transitive verb
de·fame
di-ˈfām 
defamed; defaming
: to make the subject of defamation
defamer
noun
Etymology
Medieval Latin defamare, alteration of Latin diffamare to spread news of, defame, from dis-, prefix marking dispersal or removal + fama reputation
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