word-of-mouth

1 of 2

adjective

Synonyms of word-of-mouthnext
: orally communicated
also : generated from or reliant on oral publicity
word-of-mouth customers
a word-of-mouth business

word of mouth

2 of 2

noun phrase

: oral communication
especially : oral often inadvertent publicity

Synonyms of word-of-mouth

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
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Adjective
Films that depend on word-of-mouth do not work well without media support or in opposition to saturation marketing tactics. Ted Hope, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2026 When word-of-mouth is that lethal, there’s no amount of marketing magic or charming stories on late-night talk shows that can convince people to get off the couch. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun phrase
The Friday to Saturday increase was significantly above comps, reflecting strong word of mouth. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026 Disney and Pixar expect $40 million by Sunday, a figure that could run much higher thanks to stellar word of mouth and a lack of family-friendly fare in cinemas. Jack Dunn, Variety, 7 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for word-of-mouth

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1817, in the meaning defined above

Noun Phrase

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of word-of-mouth was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Word-of-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word-of-mouth. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

word of mouth

: spoken communication
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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