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 traders in the past have been able to offset the bad news in one area by focusing on the positives elsewhere, analysts said they were now struggling to fire-fight on three fronts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
But the day before contracts were exchanged Sarah received a phone call from her "befuddled" estate agent saying he had some bad news.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
In addition to their impact on health, higher temperatures are bad news for the economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The bad news: it’s very much an art and not a science.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Picasso had rushed back to Paris when he read the bad news in the Paris-Journal.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
