libel
Law.
defamation by written, printed, or broadcast words or pictures: Intentionally or knowingly posting content that constitutes libel is prohibited.: Compare slander (def. 3).
the act or crime of publishing or broadcasting a defamatory statement:The author was convicted of libel and sentenced to a yearlong jail term.
a formal written declaration or statement, as one containing the allegations of a plaintiff or the grounds of a charge.
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.
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.
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?
to institute suit against by a libel, as in an admiralty court.
Origin of libel
1confusables note For libel
Other words from libel
- in·ter·li·bel, verb (used with object), in·ter·li·beled, in·ter·li·bel·ing or (especially British) in·ter·li·belled, in·ter·li·bel·ling.
- un·li·beled, adjective
- un·li·belled, adjective
Words that may be confused with libel
Words Nearby libel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use libel in a sentence
This decision revolutionized libel law and has guided how the Supreme Court and lower courts have interpreted the First Amendment in the subsequent decades.
A major Supreme Court First Amendment decision could be at risk | Samantha Barbas | July 13, 2021 | Washington PostYet under Alabama’s strict libel laws, Sullivan still won his lawsuit, with a jury awarding him $500,000 in damages, the largest libel verdict in the United States at that time.
A major Supreme Court First Amendment decision could be at risk | Samantha Barbas | July 13, 2021 | Washington PostBy 1961, the Times confronted $7 million in potential libel judgments and the possibility of bankruptcy.
A major Supreme Court First Amendment decision could be at risk | Samantha Barbas | July 13, 2021 | Washington PostIn it, the Supreme Court said that even if a news report about a public figure was false, it couldn’t be the basis for a libel judgment unless it showed “reckless disregard” for the truth.
The problem with cheering for the Dominion lawsuit against Fox News | Margaret Sullivan | April 1, 2021 | Washington PostThere is no reason that these platforms should not be held to the same libel standards as print publishers, broadcasters, or cable channels.
Now is not the time to repeal Section 230, but it should be soon | jakemeth | December 30, 2020 | Fortune
The McCann family is battling Amaral for damages in an ongoing libel case in Portugal.
Investigation Into Madeleine McCann Disappearance Reopened in Portugal | Barbie Latza Nadeau | October 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTA libel suit reverses the roles of plaintiff and defendant; the former must defend itself against the latter's charges.
The 'Defenders of Zionism' Lose Their Case | Gershom Gorenberg | September 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTYitzhar spokesman says the settlement 'has won a number of libel suits against media groups and the Israel Police.'
Slim Majority Of Israelis Would Support Peace Deal Referendum | Orly Halpern | July 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAccording to Dershowitz, Corey called Harvard Law School and threatened to sue to the school for libel for his comments.
Who Is Angela Corey? From Being Fired to Prosecuting Zimmerman | Caroline Linton | July 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe bill aims to protect the IDF from libel by Israel detractors.
As the actions of slander and libel have been described, only two others require notice, mandamus and quo warranto.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesIf the editor forgets himself, as in the case cited, suit for libel is sure to be brought and often proves a serious thing.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. MurphyNor is it liable for libel in transmitting a telegram stating that a person had been bought up.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesIf A writes a libel, and B prints it and C publishes it, the person wronged may sue all jointly, or either one of them separately.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesAnother bill carried this session made some alterations in the law relating to defamation and libel.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
British Dictionary definitions for libel
/ (ˈlaɪbəl) /
law
the publication of defamatory matter in permanent form, as by a written or printed statement, picture, etc
the act of publishing such matter
any defamatory or unflattering representation or statement
ecclesiastical law a claimant's written statement of claim
Scots law the formal statement of a charge
law to make or publish a defamatory statement or representation about (a person)
to misrepresent injuriously
ecclesiastical law to bring an action against (a person) in the ecclesiastical courts
Origin of libel
1Derived forms of libel
- libeller or libelist, noun
- libellous or libelous, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for libel
A written, printed, or pictorial statement that unjustly defames someone publicly. Prosecution of libel as a punishable offense puts some measure of restriction on freedom of the press under the First Amendment (see also First Amendment).
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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