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.
Mounting yields alone won’t do it, Edwards argues, but they do “leave equity investors increasingly vulnerable to bad news such as a downturn in heady profits optimism.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
The bad news is that so much of AI is driven by hope rather than cash profits that higher yields are likely to do little to crimp spending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Paraquat is bad news for farmers, farmworkers and public health,” said Del Chiaro of EWG.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Well the bad news is there's no cure, but it is possible to mitigate it.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The bad news was that it was located at the back of his head right above his neck.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
