bad news
Americannoun
noun
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An unwelcome thing or person, trouble. For example, That fire was bad news; we were underinsured for the damage , or No one wants Mary on the board—she's bad news . This term transfers literal bad news—the report of an unhappy recent event—to an unwanted or undesirable individual or circumstance. [ Slang ; 1920s]
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The amount charged for something, as in Waiter, bring our check—I want to see the bad news . [ Slang ; 1920s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The second reason Lee has was that people have been waiting for good news, but markets tend to bottom on bad news.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
Vance spoke of good news – "we've had a number of substantive negotiations" - and there was bad news: "We have not reached an agreement."
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
For investors hoping that this year’s stock-market pullback has already reached its nadir, BTIG’s Jonathan Krinsky has some bad news.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
It isn’t all bad news for those lone inventors toiling away in their garages, however.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
I knew the minute Rolf stepped through the door that bad news was weighing him down.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
