cyberbullying

noun

cy·​ber·​bul·​ly·​ing ˈsī-bər-ˌbu̇-lē-iŋ 

-ˌbə-

: the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person (such as a student) often done anonymously

cyberbully

ˈsī-bər-ˌbu̇-lē 

-ˌbə-

noun or verb

Examples of cyberbullying in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Béjar worked at Facebook from 2009 to 2015, attracting wide attention for his work to combat cyberbullying. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

The states called as their first witness former Meta executive Arturo Béjar, who worked as an engineering director at Facebook from 2009 to 2015, attracting wide attention for his work to combat cyberbullying. — CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

Phones carry cyberbullying, group-chat disputes, read receipts and the pressure to remain constantly available. — Kavin Bendre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

In Asia, Indonesia began barring children under 16 from making accounts on major social media and gaming platforms in March, citing risks including pornography, cyberbullying, online fraud, and addiction. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cyberbullying

• bullying

Kids Definition

cyberbullying

noun

cy·​ber·​bul·​ly·​ing ˈsī-bər-ˈbu̇l-ē-iŋ 

: the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person often done anonymously

cyberbully

-ˈbu̇l-ē 

noun or verb

Legal Definition

cyberbullying

noun

cy·​ber·​bul·​ly·​ing ˈsī-bər-ˌbu̇-lē-iŋ, -ˌbə- 

: the verbal bullying of someone (as a classmate) through the use of often anonymous electronic communication (as online posts or text messages) see also cyberstalking