defame
Americanverb (used with object)
-
defames,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defamed,
past participle, past
-
defaming
present participle
-
to attack the good name or reputation of, as by uttering or publishing maliciously or falsely anything injurious; slander or libel; calumniate.
The newspaper editorial defamed the politician.
-
Archaic. to disgrace; bring dishonor upon.
-
Archaic. to accuse.
verb
-
to attack the good name or reputation of; slander; libel
-
archaic to indict or accuse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
defamesimple
-
defamessimple
-
have defamedperfect
-
has defamedperfect
-
am defamingprogressive
-
are defamingprogressive
-
is defamingprogressive
-
have been defamingperfect progressive
-
has been defamingperfect progressive
Past
-
defamedsimple
-
had defamedperfect
-
was defamingprogressive
-
were defamingprogressive
-
had been defamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of defame
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English defamen, from Anglo-French defamer or directly from Medieval Latin dēfāmāre, variant of Medieval Latin, Latin diffāmāre ( dē- de- for dif-; compare Latin dēfāmātus “infamous”) “to spread the news of, slander,” equivalent to dif- dif- + -fāmāre verbal derivative of fāma “news, rumor, slander” ( see fame); replacing Middle English diffamen, from Anglo-French, Old French diffamer or directly from Medieval Latin, Latin, as above
Explanation
Even though Joan Jett sang about not minding her bad reputation, most of us don't want others to defame us. To defame is to gossip, even if the story is made-up, with the goal of hurting someone's image. We usually think of fame as a positive thing. Love, admiration, and people wanting to be like you — it all comes with the territory. The de- in defame means "remove." So if someone tries to defame a person, fame — or a good reputation — is taken away. Celebrities protect themselves from those who want to defame them, arming themselves with lawyers.
Vocabulary lists containing defame
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Intermediate, List 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
He has denied any wrongdoing and called the allegations an attempt to defame him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
They added: "The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame."
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
When Musk hops on Twitter to defame people with wild accusations, his fanboys thrill.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2025
It contends that county officials went out of their way to defame Baldwin and their pursuit of criminal charges deprived the actor-producer of his civil rights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
And do you know what this all means—that the gossipmongers once again have an opportunity to defame my son with these ridiculous rumors about his parentage.
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
Elon Musk's lawyers put the makers of a new four-hour documentary about the multibillionaire on formal legal notice days before its premiere, warning that the film defames him.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Anyone who insults or defames key members of the royal family, including the king, queen, heir apparent or regent, can be punished by up to 15 years in prison on each count under the law.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2022
If she fails to do so or defames the singer, “Britney will be forced to consider and take all appropriate legal action.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2022
This is a reference to Article 112 of Thailand's criminal code, which states: "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, Heir-Apparent or Regent shall be punished with imprisonment of three to 15 years".
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2020
“It’s slanderous. It defames my good name. It’s a shameful way for a member of the Arcanum to behave.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
He says the Journal defamed him for reporting on a birthday letter with Mr. Trump’s signature sent in 2003 to sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected for a second time President Donald Trump's attempt to overturn a jury judgment that he sexually assaulted and defamed writer E Jean Carroll.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The US Supreme Court will not hear an appeal requested by President Donald Trump to review the civil case that found he defamed and sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
The ad did not mention Sullivan by name but he said he was defamed by the ad’s criticism of the police.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Those who were manifest heretics, or specially defamed, or convicted by legal proof must take their chance.
From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Henry Charles Lea
In her first lawsuit, Carroll accused Trump of defaming her when he insulted her and denied raping her in a department-store dressing room in the 1990s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Chaves has had strained ties with local media, whom he accuses of defaming him.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
At the time, he denied the allegations and accused one woman of defaming him, and the other woman of illegally taking his cellphone after consenting to being recorded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
Capriglione said he was “not above scrutiny,” but threatened legal action, seemingly against Current Revolt as well as Grace, for what he characterized as “lying and defaming me.”
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2025
The broken bit of mirror danced away from him; he picked it up and turned it over in his fingers, thinking, thinking of Dumbledore and the lies with which Rita Skeeter was defaming him....
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
