bad apple
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of bad apple
From the proverb “one bad apple spoils the barrel”
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.
My husband is with me in kicking Mia out and telling his relatives to stuff it but thinks Mia was just one bad apple and argues that our other tenants worked out pretty well.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2024
“They say one bad apple spoils the whole bunch,” Lee said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2023
Richardson compared it to putting someone in jail for over a month because “there might be a bad apple in the bunch.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 10, 2023
They will insist, for example, that the police officer is just one bad apple in the orchard.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2022
Why should we change our lives because of one bad apple?
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
