slander

American  

[slan-der] / ˈslæn dər /

noun

• slanders
  plural

1. defamation; calumny.

   The accusations are based on hearsay, rumor, or intentional slander, and remain undocumented and unproved.

2. a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.

   The writer is spewing a despicable slander against an 87-year-old man, and without a shred of proof.

3. Law. defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc..

   The plaintiff amended his complaint to add a count of slander arising from the statements made at the board meetings.

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verb (used with object)

• slanders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• slandered,
  past participle,  past
• slandering
  present participle

1. to utter slander against; defame.

   Both parties tried to concentrate on public policy issues in their campaigns, rather than slandering their political opponents.

   Synonyms:

   revile, vilify, malign

verb (used without object)

• slanders,
  present (3rd person singular)
• slandered,
  past participle,  past
• slandering
  present participle

1. to utter or circulate slander.

   They could find no skeletons in my closet, so their only option was to lie and slander.

slander British  

/ ˈslɑːndə /

noun

1. law

   1. defamation in some transient form, as by spoken words, gestures, etc

   2. a slanderous statement, etc

2. any false or defamatory words spoken about a person; calumny

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verb

1. to utter or circulate slander (about)

Usage

What's the difference between slander and libel?

Slander and libel and are both forms of defamation—the act of attacking someone’s character or reputation, especially by making false statements about them. The difference is that such statements are considered slander when they are simply spoken in the presence of other people, whereas they are considered libel when they are published or broadcast in some way, such as being written in an article, spoken on TV, or printed on a sign that’s posted in a public place.

Both words can also be used as verbs meaning to defame someone in such a way. In a legal context, slander and libel can both be considered crimes. For an action to be considered slander or libel, it must be proven to have done some damage to a person’s reputation. Slander is often much harder to prove because it involves simply saying something, whereas libel often involves a permanent record of the statement.

You can remember the difference by thinking about the first letter of each word: slander typically involves speaking, while libel typically involves a lasting document of what was said.

Here’s an example of slander and libel used correctly in a sentence.

Example: The court determined that the defendant’s statements constituted slander, but did not rise to the level of libel since they were not published or broadcast. 

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between slander and libel.

Commonly Confused

Defamation (and the less common calumny ) are general terms for untrue statements that attack or injure someone’s reputation. Slander and libel, while they are both used generally, are legally more specific: slander is spoken, while libel is written, broadcast, or published. If a statement is true, or is an opinion not stated as a fact, it cannot be considered defamation, and therefore cannot be prosecuted as slander or libel.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• slanderer
  noun
• slanderousness
  noun
• outslander
  verb (used with object)
• reslander
  verb (used with object)
• slanderous
  adjective
• unslandered
  adjective
• slanderingly
  adverb
• slanderously
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• slanders
  plural

Participles

• slandering
  present
• slandered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• slander
  simple
• slanders
  simple
• have slandered
  perfect
• has slandered
  perfect
• am slandering
  progressive
• are slandering
  progressive
• is slandering
  progressive
• have been slandering
  perfect progressive
• has been slandering
  perfect progressive

Past

• slandered
  simple
• had slandered
  perfect
• was slandering
  progressive
• were slandering
  progressive
• had been slandering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will slander
  simple
• will have slandered
  perfect
• will be slandering
  progressive
• will have been slandering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of slander

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun s(c)laundre, from Anglo-French esclaundre, Old French esclandre, alteration of escandle, from Late Latin scandalum “cause of offense, snare” ( see scandal); Middle English verb s(c)laundren “to cause to lapse morally, bring to disgrace, discredit, defame,” from Anglo-French esclaund(e)rer, from Old French esc(l)andrer, esc(l)andir, derivative of esclandre

Explanation

If your classmate spreads a false rumor that you cheated on the math test, that's slander. Slander is the act of saying an untrue, negative statement about someone. In law, the word slander is contrasted with libel, which is the act of making a false written statement about someone. The noun slander is from Old French esclandre, escandle, or "scandal," from Late Latin scandalum "stumbling block, offense."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slander slanders slandered slandering

Professor Inger Brodey alleged that the school’s hiring was marred by “improprieties, slander, vindictiveness and manipulation” and accused Mr. Atkins of hiring “candidates who conform to unspoken, homogenous, ideological criteria.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

A lawyer who represents the Tates, Joseph McBride, described the new charges as "filth and slander" brought to counter defamation charges filed by the brothers in the US.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

A representative of the RN party told AFP: "Jordan Bardella naturally denies these accusations levelled against him in the current political climate, and reserves the right to take legal action for defamation and slander."

From Barron's ● May 7, 2026

“Nobody has endured what he has over the past few years. People tried to murder him, incarcerate him, slander him. But here he is. I’m so very proud.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

“If you are indeed a knight, ser, defend that slander with your body.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

The Chinese embassy in London said it "strongly opposes" the accusations, calling them "completely fabricated and malicious slanders".

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said the individuals on trial are not Chinese law enforcement and called the charges "nothing but rumors and slanders."

From Reuters ● May 31, 2023

“His Twitter feed alone — with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders — is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused,’’ Mr. Galli wrote.

From New York Times ● Dec. 20, 2019

The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Mr. Pompeo’s comments “pure slanders in total disregard of facts.”

From Washington Times ● Nov. 12, 2019

The character of others must suffer by their malicious slanders and false statements.

From A History of Oregon, 1792-1849 Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information by William Henry Gray

But when she realizes Iago has slandered Desdemona she turns into an enraged lioness, roundly exposing and condemning him—and Othello—with righteous fury.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

It slandered jurors in criminal trials for refusing to find people guilty for alleged crimes against the government.

From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2026

Fueling a spat that has shattered ties between the long-allied nations, Gustavo Petro said, "Mr Trump has slandered me and insulted Colombia."

From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025

News through her attorney, “It saddens me beyond belief that my husband’s character could be slandered in such a way.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025

At Rachel’s burial, Jackson angrily said, “I can and do forgive all my enemies. But those vile wretches who have slandered her must look to God for mercy.”

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Knox was accused of slandering Lumumba, the Congolese bar owner who employed her part-time, based on two statements typed by police that she signed during a long night of questioning just days after the killing.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

These are people who have no compunctions about slandering working Americans while taking every opportunity themselves for slacking off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2023

"You are slandering me incorrectly. What you're saying is dishonest," Kennedy said, pointing angrily in her direction, while the congresswoman declared she was reclaiming her time.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2023

She also accused the prosecutors of lying and slandering her.

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2022

“I’d rather not ask the obscene motive for this. I’d like to think that you’re attempting to make amends in your simple way for slandering me on my dismal first day with this ludicrous wagon.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

• belittle
• besmirch
• defame
• defile
• denigrate
• disparage
• libel
• malign
• scandalize
• smear
• sully
• tarnish
• vilify