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.
That’s bad news for his company, Clovergrass Produce, and its crop of soybeans, cucumbers, peanuts and corn plus his herd of beef cattle.
From Salon • May 15, 2026
And then there’s the really bad news: The vast majority of older Americans — and their children — have no way of paying for the help they are likely to need.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
He found breaking bad news to players about their place in the squad or future plans particularly difficult emotionally, according to Debbie.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
In recent months, though, what we’ve seen is the opposite: Individual investors have been buying stocks on bad news about tariffs or war or inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Hearing bad news about Thaya Jaan makes my knees start to buckle, like they might stop working to keep my legs straight.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
