word-of-mouth

1 of 2

adjective

: 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Instead of going out of business, employee engagement skyrocketed, customer loyalty deepened, and word-of-mouth marketing spread far and wide. Albert Kim, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025 Disney also held word-of-mouth screenings in the past week for influencers and fans in 15 markets including Germany, Brazil and Mexico. Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun phrase
In today's social media era, word of mouth goes beyond verbal recommendations. Committee Of 200, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025 Other awardees have received no official notification and only learned through word of mouth that their funding was canceled. Brett Kelman, NPR, 28 Apr. 2025 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 5 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

word of mouth

: spoken communication
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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