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.
The wife of Venezuelan footballer Héctor Bello was killed while saving their daughter, according to his social media and local news.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
The volume of complaints across Facebook, LinkedIn, and local news desks has swelled rapidly over the past month.
From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026
“We have received support from the White House,” he told a local news outlet.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
Surveillance footage at the Mexico border obtained by a local news outlet appears to show a Los Angeles man and his 5-year-old daughter who was the subject of an Amber Alert this week.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
But in addition to local news and chronicles, some foreign advertising creeps in.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
