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.
Maybe it’s bad news when even the economists have quit pretending that everything will be fine.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
That could be bad news for the companies selling the picks and shovels of this gold rush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 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
“I guess I’ll have to save the French toast for good-news days from now on. Anyhow, it’s not really bad news, just...”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
