bad apple
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of bad apple
From the proverb “one bad apple spoils the barrel”
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.
My husband is with me in kicking Mia out and telling his relatives to stuff it but thinks Mia was just one bad apple and argues that our other tenants worked out pretty well.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2024
One prominent commentator, for example, wrote about Trump’s most recent threats while entirely ignoring his "bad apple" analogy.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2024
Richardson compared it to putting someone in jail for over a month because “there might be a bad apple in the bunch.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 10, 2023
“Just because you’ve got one bad apple in the box doesn’t mean the whole box is bad,” Mark Young said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2022
“Headmistresses are always so cooperative. They’d rather expel a bad apple or two than risk their school getting into the newspapers for the wrong reasons. Who can blame them?”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
