1
as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
of course I want to win the election, but I refuse to defame my opponent in order to do so
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to accuse
archaic
to make a claim of wrongdoing against
so the harmless old woman was defamed of witchcraft
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defame
At a trial in Panama City, Florida, last month, CNN was ordered to pay $5 million plus undisclosed punitive damages for defaming Zachary Young, a security contractor, in a report about Afghan refugees.
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Gene Maddaus, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
Marco Bello/Reuters Presidential immunity does not protect Donald Trump from having to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages after being held liable for defaming magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, a lawyer for Carroll told a federal appeals court in a filing Monday.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2025
In the process of reaching a settlement in January, he was held in contempt twice, by two different federal judges, for failing to relinquish possessions and continuing to defame the two election workers.
—T. Michelle Murphy, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2025
Earlier this month, in a separate defamation case, CNN was ordered to pay $5 million for defaming a private security contractor in a five-minute segment that ran on the network in 2021.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defame
Gene Maddaus, Variety, 6 Feb. 2025
Marco Bello/Reuters Presidential immunity does not protect Donald Trump from having to pay tens of millions of dollars in damages after being held liable for defaming magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, a lawyer for Carroll told a federal appeals court in a filing Monday.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2025
In the process of reaching a settlement in January, he was held in contempt twice, by two different federal judges, for failing to relinquish possessions and continuing to defame the two election workers.
—T. Michelle Murphy, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2025
Earlier this month, in a separate defamation case, CNN was ordered to pay $5 million for defaming a private security contractor in a five-minute segment that ran on the network in 2021.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defame
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defame
Verb
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Wright got so big on social media even Piers Morgan invited her to libel Jay Z and Beyonce on his platform.—
Rob Marriott,
VIBE.com,
30 Dec. 2024
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Though he was not named in the ad, Mr. Sullivan asserted he had been personally libeled by The Times and four Black ministers who were signed to the ad.—
David W. Dunlap,
New York Times,
22 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The plea was yet another unusual move from the 24-year-old gunman, who often skipped his court appearances and was accused of staring down the victim’s families during hearings.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
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One of the two suspects was accused of throwing coffee at one of the airport staffers during the scuffle, a representative from the Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office told PEOPLE.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Carbs Before bed, the best carbohydrate options are complex carbs and whole foods, like a piece of whole-grain toast smeared with avocado or a banana with almond butter.—
Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD,
Verywell Health,
28 Feb. 2025
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Soap removes sticky spills, smeared food or mud; bleach might take out the stains left once the crud is gone.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And Lux — embroiled in controversy after three of its top executives were in September indicted on fraud charges related to a St. Louis project — is back to paying its contractors after being hit with multiple court actions.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
1 Mar. 2025
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Prosecutors said the woman, who was indicted in 2018, cost Stanford thousands of dollars.—
Sara Schilling,
Sacramento Bee,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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No, Trump Did Not ‘Bring Back Free Speech’ An August 2024 report by Columbia’s task force on antisemitism found that Jews and Israelis at Columbia were often ostracized and humiliated on campus.—
Solcyré Burga,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
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Committee Chairman James Comer will use the hearing to humiliate blue-city mayors and to please the White House and fire up his extremist MAGA base.—
Peter Cunningham,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But Dickens claims the opposite, and argues that the research purporting to discredit spelling has fallen out of date.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2025
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Incident brought ‘discredit to the Sheriff’s Office’ Sgt.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacramento Bee,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defame. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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