word-of-mouth

1 of 2

adjective

ˌwərd-ə(v)-ˈmau̇th 

: 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

Adjective

• oral
• verbal

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

Adjective

The film’s playing well and word-of-mouth is good. —John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026

The platform’s fragrance corner—often dubbed #FragranceTok—has turned perfume discovery into a kind of digital word-of-mouth. —Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2026

Noun phrase

There’s already excellent word of mouth for Amazon MGM Studios‘ sci-fi dramedy, Project Hail Mary, with a 98% Rotten Tomatoes audience score and 95% certified fresh from critics. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 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

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1817, in the meaning defined above

Noun Phrase

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

word of mouth

: spoken communication