slander

slan·der | \ ˈslan-dər

How to pronounce slander (audio)

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slandered; slandering\ ˈslan-d(ə-)riŋ

How to pronounce slandering (audio)

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Definition of slander

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to utter slander against : defame

slander

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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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 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 Sadly, my colleague [Romney] wants to appease the left by calling witnesses who will slander the [president] during their 15 minutes of fame. — Madison Dibble, Washington Examiner, "‘Six years is a long time’: Lawmaker in Romney’s state introduces bill that would let voters recall sitting senators," 30 Jan. 2020 Sadly, my colleague @SenatorRomney wants to appease the left by calling witnesses who will slander the @realDonaldTrump during their 15 minutes of fame. — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, "The Bolton Bombshell and the Unwaveringly Pro-Trump G.O.P.," 28 Jan. 2020 Mao Zedong had slandered the Peace Corps as a tool of American imperialism, so his more pragmatic successors changed its name. — Michael Meyer, WSJ, "The Peace Corps Cuts and Runs," 24 Jan. 2020 In Barrancabermeja, environmental leaders are slandered, bullied and threatened. — Fatima Garcia Elena, Quartz, "On the front lines of climate change, environmental activism can lead to murder," 4 Dec. 2019 Ollie is also represented by the same firm in a suit against Miller in which Ollie and the mother of a former player accuse Miller of slandering them. — Dave Altimari, courant.com, "Sex discrimination lawsuit filed against Jim Calhoun, St. Joseph alleges ‘boys club’ in athletic department," 9 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Tomczak threatened to sue Habaugh for slander, and McMahon scoffed at the accusation. — Colleen Kane, chicagotribune.com, "Now that Mitch Trubisky has been named the starting QB, what can the Bears learn from the past? Here are 4 lessons from previous competitions — from McMahon-Tomczak-Harbaugh to Matthews-McNown-Miller.," 6 Sep. 2020 Harris is not minus good deeds, but the list of bad ones is long, and understand that many woke, postmodern, cancel-culture news outlets right now are saying that criticism is sexist, racist slander. — Jay Ambrose Tribune News Service (tns), Star Tribune, "Kamala Harris is far from perfect," 17 Aug. 2020 The government says the draft legislation is needed to combat cybercrime, and will protect people from slander while safeguarding their right to privacy. — Zeynep Bilginsoy, Star Tribune, "Turkish parliament to vote on controversial social media law," 28 July 2020 That last theory is a foolish slander against Alexander, Kottaridi says. — Myrto Papadopoulos, Smithsonian Magazine, "The King and the Conqueror," 8 June 2020 There's no better defense against slander than the truth. — Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, "Contract worker at GM subsidiary says he was fired for raising coronavirus concerns," 22 Apr. 2020 As for whether the new show will feature the same old slander against Baskin, think again. — Bianca Rodriguez, Marie Claire, "Netflix's Tiger King Will Have a Bonus Episode, Hosted By Joel McHale," 10 Apr. 2020 More broadly, France’s laws can be restrictive of free speech in cases of defamation, libel, slander and privacy. — Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, "The El Paso Shooting Revived the Free Speech Debate. Europe Has Limits.," 6 Aug. 2019 The umpire is suing Lockilear for slander, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and tortious interference with a contract. — Doha Madani, NBC News, "Umpire claims in lawsuit South Carolina mayor had him fired over kickball call," 25 Oct. 2019

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

10 Sep 2020

Cite this Entry

“Slander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slander. Accessed 24 Sep. 2020.

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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

slan·der | \ ˈslan-dər

\

slandered; slandering

Kids Definition of slander

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to make a false and damaging statement against

slander

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

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.

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