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

Zapya, an offline file-sharing app using Bluetooth; and old-fashioned word-of-mouth. — Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2026

Like his tattoo appointments, Hollywood jobs have been word-of-mouth — there’s not exactly an agent for movie tattoo artists, after all. — Danielle Directo-Meston, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026

Noun phrase

The West Palm Beach, Florida, native moved to Kansas City to work for the Chiefs and found Potts through word of mouth. — Pj Green october 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026

Ticket sales fell 60% in the film’s second weekend as a costly production, mixed reviews and weak audience word of mouth weighed on its prospects. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 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