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 latest bit of bad news was a report by Bloomberg that nuclear service provider Holtec decided to postpone its initial public offering that had been expected to price today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
That bullish positioning leaves the market vulnerable to a much sharper pullback than we have seen so far, especially if any further bad news comes along to spark renewed fears.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
And the bad news for the chasing pack is that just two clubs have won the Premier League having been five or more points behind after four games.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
But it wasn't all bad news for Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.
