whispering campaign
noun
: the systematic dissemination by word of mouth of derogatory rumors or charges especially against a candidate for public office
Examples of whispering campaign in a Sentence
He was the target of a whispering campaign started by his political rivals.
Recent Examples on the Web
Karl Rove reportedly inspired a similar whispering campaign during an Alabama judicial campaign back in the 1990s.
—
Joel Mathis, The Week, 4 Apr. 2022
Lingering physical effects from five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam added to concerns about his health, and his staff viewed full transparency as the best response to a whisper campaign about his mental health.
—Matt Viser, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Feb. 2020
The eatery is doing a fun whisper campaign this year: The restaurant will post a secret word on Instagram and Facebook, and anyone who mentions the secret word to a server will get a $2 Rita de Casa.
—Audrey Eads, Dallas News, 14 Feb. 2020
Smear sheets and whisper campaigns targeted Brewer, a moderate on racial issues.
—Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 4 Dec. 2019
Finally, Tom called Karishma’s last-minute whisper campaign at Tribal Council a big act.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2019
In the company’s version of events, an unspecified person on the communications team hired Definers Public Affairs to monitor press about the company, help with product announcements, and carry out the odd whisper campaign against prominent enemies.
—Casey Newton, The Verge, 17 Nov. 2018
These are the political tactics that people use, and in the past there's evidence these whisper campaigns have been successful.
—NBC News, 4 Mar. 2018
At the same time, a whisper campaign against him started to get louder.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 1 June 2018
See More
Joel Mathis, The Week, 4 Apr. 2022
Lingering physical effects from five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam added to concerns about his health, and his staff viewed full transparency as the best response to a whisper campaign about his mental health.
—Matt Viser, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Feb. 2020
The eatery is doing a fun whisper campaign this year: The restaurant will post a secret word on Instagram and Facebook, and anyone who mentions the secret word to a server will get a $2 Rita de Casa.
—Audrey Eads, Dallas News, 14 Feb. 2020
Smear sheets and whisper campaigns targeted Brewer, a moderate on racial issues.
—Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 4 Dec. 2019
Finally, Tom called Karishma’s last-minute whisper campaign at Tribal Council a big act.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2019
In the company’s version of events, an unspecified person on the communications team hired Definers Public Affairs to monitor press about the company, help with product announcements, and carry out the odd whisper campaign against prominent enemies.
—Casey Newton, The Verge, 17 Nov. 2018
These are the political tactics that people use, and in the past there's evidence these whisper campaigns have been successful.
—NBC News, 4 Mar. 2018
At the same time, a whisper campaign against him started to get louder.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 1 June 2018
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whispering campaign.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1920, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of whispering campaign was
in 1920
Articles Related to whispering campaign
Dictionary Entries Near whispering campaign
Cite this Entry
“Whispering campaign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whispering%20campaign. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
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