defame
Americanverb (used with object)
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defames,
present (3rd person singular)
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defamed,
past participle, past
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defaming
present participle
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to attack the good name or reputation of, as by uttering or publishing maliciously or falsely anything injurious; slander or libel; calumniate.
The newspaper editorial defamed the politician.
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Archaic. to disgrace; bring dishonor upon.
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Archaic. to accuse.
verb
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to attack the good name or reputation of; slander; libel
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archaic to indict or accuse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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defamesimple
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defamessimple
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have defamedperfect
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has defamedperfect
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am defamingprogressive
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are defamingprogressive
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is defamingprogressive
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have been defamingperfect progressive
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has been defamingperfect progressive
Past
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defamedsimple
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had defamedperfect
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was defamingprogressive
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were defamingprogressive
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had been defamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of defame
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English defamen, from Anglo-French defamer or directly from Medieval Latin dēfāmāre, variant of Medieval Latin, Latin diffāmāre ( dē- de- for dif-; compare Latin dēfāmātus “infamous”) “to spread the news of, slander,” equivalent to dif- dif- + -fāmāre verbal derivative of fāma “news, rumor, slander” ( see fame); replacing Middle English diffamen, from Anglo-French, Old French diffamer or directly from Medieval Latin, Latin, as above
Explanation
Even though Joan Jett sang about not minding her bad reputation, most of us don't want others to defame us. To defame is to gossip, even if the story is made-up, with the goal of hurting someone's image. We usually think of fame as a positive thing. Love, admiration, and people wanting to be like you — it all comes with the territory. The de- in defame means "remove." So if someone tries to defame a person, fame — or a good reputation — is taken away. Celebrities protect themselves from those who want to defame them, arming themselves with lawyers.
Vocabulary lists containing defame
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
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Intermediate, List 6
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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.
See Examples For:
He has denied any wrongdoing and called the allegations an attempt to defame him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
"The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!"
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2025
The all-out legal brawl between Baldoni and Lively escalated when Baldoni sued The New York Times for defamation, claiming the paper had colluded with Lively to use text messages out of context to defame him.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2025
It contends that county officials went out of their way to defame Baldwin and their pursuit of criminal charges deprived the actor-producer of his civil rights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
The films often had the opposite effect: Despite the mountains of evidence, many Hitler Youth told themselves that the films were exaggerated, if not invented by the Allies as propaganda intended to defame the Nazis.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Elon Musk's lawyers put the makers of a new four-hour documentary about the multibillionaire on formal legal notice days before its premiere, warning that the film defames him.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
“And here, the prospect that he could have to pay millions of dollars in punitive damages each time he defames E. Jean Carroll again has to weigh on his mind.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
If she fails to do so or defames the singer, “Britney will be forced to consider and take all appropriate legal action.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2022
This is a reference to Article 112 of Thailand's criminal code, which states: "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, Heir-Apparent or Regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years".
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2020
“It’s slanderous. It defames my good name. It’s a shameful way for a member of the Arcanum to behave.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Gowan and Hijazi countersued, alleging Katz and Junger defamed them by falsely claiming D2 wouldn’t allow employees to seek support for Jewish clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
"As a result, the jury's unanimous verdict that Donald Trump sexually assaulted and then defamed E. Jean Carroll is now final and cannot be challenged in any court," she added.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
"Today's Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury's unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll," said Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Instead of actually listening to us and providing evidence of studies or environmental impact statements, we just get called names and bullied and defamed on national television.”
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
As an index of public sentiment in the community where the defamed and the defamer resided, I will state two facts.
From Abraham Lincoln: Was He A Christian? by John B. Remsburg
Chaves has had strained ties with local media, whom he accuses of defaming him.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
But the parade of horribles recounted by Mr. Shapiro are at once comic and terrifying: deans harassing speakers, law students defaming anyone holding divergent views, faculty obsessed with idiotic academic theories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
Thailand's lese majeste law forbids anyone from defaming or threatening the royal family.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025
Capriglione said he was “not above scrutiny,” but threatened legal action, seemingly against Current Revolt as well as Grace, for what he characterized as “lying and defaming me.”
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2025
Adams read in the newspapers that Jefferson had compiled “a Magazine of slips of newspapers, and pamphlets, vilifying, calumniating and defaming you.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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