1
: new information or a report about something that has happened recently
Do you have any news to report?
I have some good news, and I have some bad news.
Have you heard the good news? She's going to have a baby!
What's the big/latest news?
It was late summer when news of his death arrived. [=when we learned that he had died]
We tried to break the news [=tell the bad news] to her gently.
"The concert has been canceled." "Well, that is news to me." [=I didn't know that; no one told me that]
Lower ticket prices are good news for [=make things easier for] sports fans.
We haven't heard from his teacher lately, but no news is good news. [=if he was doing badly, his teacher would have told us]
2
a
: information that is reported in a newspaper, magazine, television news program, etc.
local/international news
The company has been in the news recently.
and now this late-breaking news [=the most recent news of the day]
front-page news [=important news that could be reported on the front page of a newspaper]
—often used before another nounTV news reporters
news stories/reports
the news media
a slow news day [=a day with little news to report]
b
informal
: someone or something that is exciting and in the news
She's big news here in the city.
That band is old news. = The band is yesterday's news. [=that band isn't new or exciting anymore]
3
: a television news program
We saw it on the evening/nightly news.
The local news is on at 5:30.
Cite this Entry
“News.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/news. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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