as in libel
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
accused the newspaper columnist of defamation of character
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Recent Examples of defamation
Gardner also maintained the speech was opinion, which cannot give rise to a viable defamation claim.
—
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Trump has also filed defamation lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and successfully urged Congress to strip federal funding from NPR and PBS.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about with a rubbish defamation suit against me!
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
The director later tried to sue the actress for defamation, but a judge dismissed the case; Lively’s original lawsuit will head to trial in 2026.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defamation
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Trump has also filed defamation lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and successfully urged Congress to strip federal funding from NPR and PBS.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about with a rubbish defamation suit against me!
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
The director later tried to sue the actress for defamation, but a judge dismissed the case; Lively’s original lawsuit will head to trial in 2026.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defamation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defamation
libel
Noun
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Harry has twice sued Associated Newspapers for libel, winning one case and withdrawing the other, while his wife Meghan has also won a privacy lawsuit against the publisher.—
Michael Holden,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
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The country also still lacks a freedom of information act, and libel remains a criminal offense.—
Ashish Valentine,
NPR,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defamation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defamation. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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