: orally communicated
also
: generated from or reliant on oral publicity
word-of-mouth customers
a word-of-mouth business
: oral communication
especially
: oral often inadvertent publicity
Synonyms
Examples of word-of-mouth in a Sentence
Adjective
not having the money to run ads, the restaurant relies on word-of-mouth publicity
Recent Examples on the Web
Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 May 2024
Even for locals, many of the tropical-looking beaches in South Devon—a seaside county about four hours by car from London—are word-of-mouth tip-offs.
—Jo Rodgers, Vogue, 3 May 2024
Back in those pre-internet days, Cline’s ubiquity was word-of-mouth, but deeply felt.
—Holly Gleason, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
The automaker had long eschewed television, radio, print or online ads — and had built a formidable brand largely through word-of-mouth.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
The event room was filling up fast, despite the fact that library director Mara Strickler held off on posting my visit to social media until three days before, opting instead for a word-of-mouth campaign.
—Diana Goetsch, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
The Kim’s Video mind-set expressed itself more diffusely, as a web of word-of-mouth recommendations.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
While more studies are being conducted, word-of-mouth has been positive, and the general consensus is that CBD’s benefits outweigh the cons.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
But, for those who discover brands early on; whose consistent purchases, crowdfunding contributions, and word-of-mouth endorsements contribute to a growing buzz, the resulting sense of pride and ownership is, perhaps, fair.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
Jolene Almendarez, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024
A lot of that comes from word of mouth and referrals just from having a good reputation, meeting people and making connections.
—Blake Gillespie, SPIN, 11 June 2024
But as the years passed, these artworks were recorded only in oral traditions and locals’ word of mouth, Science magazine’s María Paula Rubiano A writes.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2024
Through word of mouth, she's heard Norman might be in Phoenix — more than 100 miles away from home.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2024
But through newspaper reports, word of mouth, samizdat publications, and Western radio broadcasts, people in Eastern Europe quickly learned about the new rights that their governments had solemnly promised to respect.
—Jacob McHangama, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2022
Some of the best travel finds come through word of mouth, so why wouldn’t that be the case with your clothing essentials?
—Sanah Faroke, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2024
As more migrants arrived and crossed, word of mouth spread quickly through WhatsApp and other communication systems favored by asylum-seekers.
—Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 22 May 2024
Tori also emphasizes how the industry still relies on word of mouth as a form of communication, which often leads to misconceptions based on lack of knowledge.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 18 May 2024
Adjective
Also, while critics dissed the film, audiences awarded it an A CinemaScore and strong exits, which are key ingredients needed for word-of-mouth.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 May 2024
Even for locals, many of the tropical-looking beaches in South Devon—a seaside county about four hours by car from London—are word-of-mouth tip-offs.
—Jo Rodgers, Vogue, 3 May 2024
Back in those pre-internet days, Cline’s ubiquity was word-of-mouth, but deeply felt.
—Holly Gleason, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024
The automaker had long eschewed television, radio, print or online ads — and had built a formidable brand largely through word-of-mouth.
—Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
The event room was filling up fast, despite the fact that library director Mara Strickler held off on posting my visit to social media until three days before, opting instead for a word-of-mouth campaign.
—Diana Goetsch, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
The Kim’s Video mind-set expressed itself more diffusely, as a web of word-of-mouth recommendations.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2024
While more studies are being conducted, word-of-mouth has been positive, and the general consensus is that CBD’s benefits outweigh the cons.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
But, for those who discover brands early on; whose consistent purchases, crowdfunding contributions, and word-of-mouth endorsements contribute to a growing buzz, the resulting sense of pride and ownership is, perhaps, fair.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun phrase
Most people find out about it through word of mouth or on Facebook.
—Jolene Almendarez, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024
A lot of that comes from word of mouth and referrals just from having a good reputation, meeting people and making connections.
—Blake Gillespie, SPIN, 11 June 2024
But as the years passed, these artworks were recorded only in oral traditions and locals’ word of mouth, Science magazine’s María Paula Rubiano A writes.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2024
Through word of mouth, she's heard Norman might be in Phoenix — more than 100 miles away from home.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2024
But through newspaper reports, word of mouth, samizdat publications, and Western radio broadcasts, people in Eastern Europe quickly learned about the new rights that their governments had solemnly promised to respect.
—Jacob McHangama, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2022
Some of the best travel finds come through word of mouth, so why wouldn’t that be the case with your clothing essentials?
—Sanah Faroke, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2024
As more migrants arrived and crossed, word of mouth spread quickly through WhatsApp and other communication systems favored by asylum-seekers.
—Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 22 May 2024
Tori also emphasizes how the industry still relies on word of mouth as a form of communication, which often leads to misconceptions based on lack of knowledge.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 18 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'word-of-mouth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near word-of-mouth
Cite this Entry
“Word-of-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word-of-mouth. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
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