libel
Americannoun
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libels
plural
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Law.
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defamation by written, printed, or broadcast words or pictures.
Intentionally or knowingly posting content that constitutes libel is prohibited.
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the act or crime of publishing or broadcasting a defamatory statement.
The author was convicted of libel and sentenced to a yearlong jail term.
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a formal written declaration or statement, as one containing the allegations of a plaintiff or the grounds of a charge.
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anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents.
He blames me for his getting kicked out of school, so he spread this libel against me in revenge.
verb (used with object)
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libels,
present (3rd person singular)
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libeled,
past participle, past
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libelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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libeling,
present participle
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libelling
present participle (especially British)
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to publish or broadcast a libel against.
The journalist received a suspended three-year prison sentence for allegedly libeling the president in an online article.
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to misrepresent damagingly.
So it's just fine to smear and libel the writer, but it's not okay to call someone out for doing so?
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to institute suit against by a libel, as in an admiralty court.
noun
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law
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the publication of defamatory matter in permanent form, as by a written or printed statement, picture, etc
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the act of publishing such matter
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any defamatory or unflattering representation or statement
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ecclesiastical law a claimant's written statement of claim
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Scots law the formal statement of a charge
verb
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law to make or publish a defamatory statement or representation about (a person)
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to misrepresent injuriously
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ecclesiastical law to bring an action against (a person) in the ecclesiastical courts
Usage
What's the difference between libel and slander? Libel and slander are both forms of defamation—the act of attacking someone’s character or reputation, especially by making false statements about them. The difference is that such statements are considered slander when they are simply spoken in the presence of other people, whereas they are considered libel when they are published or broadcast in some way, such as being written in an article, spoken on TV, or printed on a sign that’s posted in a public place. Both words can also be used as verbs meaning to defame someone in such a way. In a legal context, libel and slander can both be considered crimes. For an action to be considered libel or slander, it must be proven to have done some damage to a person’s reputation. Slander is often much harder to prove because it involves simply saying something, whereas libel often involves a permanent record of the statement. You can remember the difference by thinking about the first letter of each word: slander typically involves speaking, while libel typically involves a lasting document of what was said. Here’s an example of libel and slander used correctly in a sentence. Example: The court determined that the defendant’s statements constituted slander, but did not rise to the level of libel since they were not published or broadcast. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between libel and slander.
Commonly Confused
See slander.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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libellernoun
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interlibelverb (used with object)
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libellousadjective
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unlibeledadjective
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unlibelledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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libelsimple
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libelssimple
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have libeledperfect
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have libelledperfect
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has libeledperfect
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has libelledperfect
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am libelingprogressive
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am libellingprogressive
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are libelingprogressive
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are libellingprogressive
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is libelingprogressive
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is libellingprogressive
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have been libelingperfect progressive
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have been libellingperfect progressive
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has been libelingperfect progressive
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has been libellingperfect progressive
Past
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libeledsimple
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libelledsimple
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had libeledperfect
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had libelledperfect
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was libelingprogressive
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was libellingprogressive
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were libelingprogressive
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were libellingprogressive
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had been libelingperfect progressive
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had been libellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of libel
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English: “little book, formal document, official statement,” from Latin libellus, diminutive of liber book; for formation, see castellum
Explanation
Libel is the act of publishing a statement about someone that is not true and that gives a bad impression about the person. Libel is usually contrasted with slander, which refers to a spoken statement that is not true. Both libel and slander are used in legal contexts. In Middle English, libel referred to a written declaration, from Anglo-French, from Latin libellus, from liber "book."
Vocabulary lists containing libel
All About That Baseless: Bad-Faith Accusations
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!
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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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:
Afterwards he said it was a case that "should never have been brought" and that "people must be free to state their own opinions without fear of libel action".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
In 1964, a unanimous Supreme Court said the 1st Amendment’s protection for the freedom of speech and the press limited state libel verdicts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
One newspaper denounced “The Playboy of the Western World” as an “unmitigated, prolonged libel upon Irish peasant men and, worse still, upon Irish peasant girlhood.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The case type is described as "Media and Communication -- Part 7 Claim -- Defamation -- libel and slander".
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
Woodhull and Claflin were never charged with libel, a charge that involves writing false information about a person that hurts his or her reputation.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Until we learn to recognize its libels, we will continue to fight yesterday’s hatred while losing to today’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
How do I help our Christian friends understand that the Jewish people still face blood libels today?
From Washington Post ● Oct. 12, 2021
In response, Meshi-Zahav wrote a letter saying “these libels are baseless and appear more as gossip and closing of accounts against me.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2021
"Far from increasing a public figure’s burden in a defamation action, the common law deemed libels against public figures to be, if anything, more serious and injurious than ordinary libels," Thomas wrote.
From Fox News ● Feb. 19, 2019
At the start of the correspondence Adams had felt deep resentment toward Jefferson for the libels he had sponsored during the Adams presidency.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Patel’s defamation suit accuses The Atlantic of “actual malice,” a legal test that needs to be met for public officials to successfully prove they’ve been libeled.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026
Harry claims the article was “fundamentally inaccurate” and the newspaper libeled him when it suggested he lied in his initial public statements about his case challenging the government.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2023
A federal appeals court has ruled that a Russian Orthodox priest can sue the people he claims libeled him and tarnished his reputation in that faith community.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 18, 2022
Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are back in court to determine whether Heard libeled her ex-husband in 2018 when she wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2022
Last fall, Senator Spooner, who is also a man with a first-class head and face, was libeled in this same reckless way.
From Remarks by Bill Nye
However the Court of Appeal dismissed Mr Fox's bid to overturn the finding that he had libelled Mr Blake and Mr Seymour.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2025
The dead can’t be libelled, but they can have their privacy invaded.
From Nature ● May 1, 2018
The finding of harassment followed a 2009 high court decision by Sir Charles Gray that Bates had libelled Levi, also in his chairman's articles published prominently in the match programme.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 27, 2012
The council went to court in California after three councillors and an official complained they were libelled in a blog called "Mr Monkey".
From BBC ● May 30, 2011
But, Pani Nathaniel, some one must have libelled me to you.
From Judith Trachtenberg A Novel by Karl Emil Franzos
Claiming that she ruined his reputation and career, Depp is suing Heard for $50 million for allegedly libeling him in a 2018 op-ed she wrote that was published in the Washington Post.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2022
The burden is still on Palin to prove that Bennet is guilty of libeling her.
From Slate ● Feb. 9, 2022
Last month, she sued two Portuguese news outlets for allegedly libeling a New Jersey man by tying him to a far-right Portuguese political party.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 22, 2021
He then boldly read those words to Congress and millions of people, defaming & libeling me.” — tweets on Sept. 28.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2019
Burr was there because Hamilton had been libeling him throughout their crisscrossing careers in public life.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
In 1992, some of the subjects of “Boys of Zinc,” along with an organization representing the mothers of soldiers killed in the war, sued Alexievich for libelling the Soviet military.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 26, 2015
I feel it’s happening already, that the people who say, ‘He’s lying, he’s plagiarising, he’s libelling us’, will end up having more importance than my own research, my own attempts to investigate how things work.”
From The Guardian ● Oct. 3, 2015
Photograph: Ian Gavan/Getty Images It seems that , found guilty of libelling Lord McAlpine, is a Twitter martyr in some quarters.
From The Guardian ● May 25, 2013
Her second marriage ended in divorce within a year, and she had to settle out of court with her first husband's family over accusations that she was libelling them in her act.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 21, 2012
It picks out certain characteristics of human nature, generalizes from them and neglects the others, thereby libelling mankind.
From Morals and the Evolution of Man by Max Simon Nordau
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.
