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• bad-mouth
  bad-mouth

  verb (used with object)

  to speak critically and often disloyally of; disparage.
• bad mouth
  bad mouth

  Disparage or criticize unduly, malign, as in Why do you constantly bad mouth your colleagues? This term is believed to be of African origin, where the phrase bad mouth signifies a curse or evil spell. [1930s]

bad-mouth

American  

[bad-mouth, -mouth] / ˈbædˌmaʊθ, -ˌmaʊð /

Or badmouth

verb (used with object)

bad-mouthed, bad-mouthing

1. Slang. to speak critically and often disloyally of; disparage.

   Why do you bad-mouth your family so much?

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bad-mouth British  

verb

1. slang (tr) to speak unfavourably about

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bad mouth Idioms  

1. Disparage or criticize unduly, malign, as in Why do you constantly bad mouth your colleagues? This term is believed to be of African origin, where the phrase bad mouth signifies a curse or evil spell. [1930s]

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Other Word Forms

• bad-mouther
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bad-mouth

1935–40; originally a curse, spell (the sense recorded in Gullah); compare Vai (Mande language of Liberia and Sierra Leone) dà nyà mà curse, literally, bad mouth

Example Sentences

Trying to get Pete Carroll to bad-mouth a former player of his is like trying to get an Auburn fan to yell “Roll Tide!”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 24, 2023

Macchio also made the decision to never bad-mouth the Karate Kid films, even if he was frustrated with the direction his career had taken.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2022

“Some people bad-mouth America, but in reality, it’s a good country,” said Yoneha, who came to the U.S. from Okinawa on a whim 50 years ago.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2022

The mayor then went on vacation to the Southwest, leaving the governor to use his absence to make calls to bad-mouth him.

From Washington Post • Aug. 13, 2021

Pa said, “I advise caution, Leroy. I ain’t trying to bad-mouth no one, but how much we really know ’bout Zephariah?

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis