slander

verb

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slan·der | \ ˈslan-dər

slandered; slandering\ ˈslan-d(ə-)riŋ

Definition of slander

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to utter slander against : defame

slander

noun

Definition of slander (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another's reputation

2 : a false and defamatory oral statement about a person — compare libel

Other Words from slander Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about slander

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Other Words from slander

Verb

slanderer \ ˈslan-dər-ər

\ noun

Noun

slanderous \ ˈslan-d(ə-)rəs

\ adjective

slanderously adverb

slanderousness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for slander

Verb

malign, traduce, asperse, vilify, calumniate, defame, slander mean to injure by speaking ill of. malign suggests specific and often subtle misrepresentation but may not always imply deliberate lying. the most maligned monarch in British history traduce stresses the resulting ignominy and distress to the victim. so traduced the governor that he was driven from office asperse implies continued attack on a reputation often by indirect or insinuated detraction. both candidates aspersed the other's motives vilify implies attempting to destroy a reputation by open and direct abuse. no criminal was more vilified in the press calumniate imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions. falsely calumniated as a traitor defame stresses the actual loss of or injury to one's good name. sued them for defaming her reputation slander stresses the suffering of the victim. town gossips slandered their good name

Examples of slander in a Sentence

Verb She was accused of slandering her former boss. Noun She is being sued for slander. He was a target of slander. We've heard countless unsupported slanders about her.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The lawyer representing the family of George Floyd expects the team defending the former police officer accused of murdering Floyd will try to slander his character. — Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, "Floyd family attorney predicts Chauvin defense will 'try to assassinate' Floyd's character," 29 Mar. 2021 To slander crypto-mining as an inherently dirty business appears intellectually dishonest. Needless to say, gold has many more use cases at present – not just as coinage but in electronics and manufacturing. — Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, "Bitcoin’s Energy Consumption Is A Highly Charged Debate – Who’s Right?," 10 Mar. 2021 She’s a xenophobe and a bigot who ruthlessly abused her position today to slander a woman, who has absolutely nothing to do with the daily business of Parler, simply because she was born outside of the United States. — Jake Dima, Washington Examiner, "House Oversight Committee demands FBI investigation into Parler's supposed 'planning and incitement' of Capitol riot," 21 Jan. 2021 And suddenly they would be held to higher standards--such as libel and slander laws. — Arkansas Online, "OPINION | EDITORIAL: And so it begins," 6 Dec. 2020 The plan gets a little fuzzy at that last point, but the first two steps are clear: slander and sue. — Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, "Trump’s Legal Strategy for Challenging the Election Is One More Trumpist Fantasy," 6 Nov. 2020 The thinking of Burke, de Mastre, or de Bonald also shows that the counterrevolutionary should not respond by adding more violence or slander to a time of crisis. — Itxu Díaz, National Review, "What Burke Would Say about the Riots," 3 Sep. 2020 Less than one day after the story was published, the regime used it to attack and slander Mr. López and pressure the Spanish government to hand him over to the dictatorship. — WSJ, "No Plot by Venezuela’s Interim Government," 8 July 2020 Despite being slandered and mocked by her detractors, Fang Fang emerged as a true hero, revered by her fans and admired by her fellow writers. — Jiwei Xiao, The New York Review of Books, "Fearing For My Mother in Wuhan, Facing a New Sinophobia in the US," 6 Apr. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Jones was arrested in July on charges of retaliation against a federal judge or federal law enforcement officer by false claim or slander, and aiding and abetting. — Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Sovereign citizen duo accused of filing fake liens against judges, federal officials," 1 Apr. 2021 In acquiescing in this slander, the military has succumbed to the same disease that has afflicted American universities, corporate boards, newsrooms, and the entertainment industry. — Mackubin Owens, Washington Examiner, "War goes woke," 1 Apr. 2021 Before Sullivan, lawsuits for slander and libel hadn’t been understood as implicating the First Amendment at all. — Glenn Harlan Reynolds, WSJ, "How to Restore Balance to Libel Law," 24 Mar. 2021 In my estimation, this is realism — and non-slander of one’s own country. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, "‘Patriot’ games, &c.," 19 Mar. 2021 But the history of beer points to a not-so-magical legacy of transatlantic slander and gender roles. — Laken Brooks, Smithsonian Magazine, "Women Dominated Beer Brewing Until They Were Accused of Being Witches," 8 Mar. 2021 Brad Herman, an ex-assistant of Lee’s who would later be sued by JC for slander, alleged assault. — Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, "'The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee': Absorbing bio details dismantles myths surrounding Marvel comics icon," 18 Feb. 2021 Half a million people in Spain downloaded a recording of the outburst, as did many in Venezuela (where the recording had to be voiced by actors to avoid slander). — Saskia Solomon, The Economist, "How the iPhone killed the custom ringtone," 17 Feb. 2021 For most ordinary people, there were no slot machine-like dopamine hits to be had for upping the ante on what might be the greatest collective slander in American history. — Arkansas Online, "OPINION | MICHELLE GOLDBERG: Clinton QAnon obsession," 8 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slander.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

2 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Slander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slander. Accessed 11 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for slander

slander

verb

English Language Learners Definition of slander

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to make a false spoken statement that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone

slander

noun

English Language Learners Definition of slander (Entry 2 of 2)

: the act of making a false spoken statement that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone

: a false spoken statement that is made to cause people to have a bad opinion of someone

See the full definition for slander in the English Language Learners Dictionary

slander

verb

slan·der | \ ˈslan-dər

slandered; slandering

Kids Definition of slander

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to make a false and damaging statement against

slander

noun

Kids Definition of slander (Entry 2 of 2)

: a false statement that damages another person's reputation

slander

transitive verb

slan·der | \ ˈslan-dər

Legal Definition of slander

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to utter slander against

slander

noun

Legal Definition of slander (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : defamation of a person by unprivileged oral communication made to a third party also : defamatory oral statements

2 : the tort of oral defamation sued his former employer for slander — compare defamation, false light, libel

Note: An action for slander may be brought without alleging and proving special damages if the statements in question have a plainly harmful character, as by imputing to the plaintiff criminal guilt, serious sexual misconduct, or conduct or a characteristic affecting his or her business or profession.

Other Words from slander

slanderous \ ˈslan-də-rəs

\ adjective

slanderously adverb

slanderousness noun