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.
Good news could be bad news if it increased the odds of a hike, which was seen as a drag on stock prices—especially rate-sensitive tech companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 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
But it wasn't all bad news for Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Her approach has been to aggressively share bad news.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 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.
