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.
While some larger businesses stress it is too early to assess the fallout, they were clear that a drawn-out conflict and persistently higher energy costs would be very bad news.
From Barron's
On Friday, there was more bad news, with new data showing the US economy grew at a significantly slower pace than initially estimated for the final months of 2025.
From Barron's
It wasn’t all bad news on Thursday, though.
From Barron's
With the exception of the rise of the Greens in Britain, these developments needn’t be bad news for the U.S. or for American strategic interests in Europe.
The bad news: The market selloff stemming from this crisis could be nasty.
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.
