smear campaign

American  

noun

1. a campaign to tarnish the reputation of a public figure, especially by vilification or innuendo.

---

smear campaign Idioms  

1. An attempt to ruin a reputation by slander or vilification, as in This press agent is well known for starting smear campaigns against her clients' major competitors. This phrase was first recorded in 1938 and uses smear in the sense of “an attempt to discredit” or “slander.”

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

smear campaign

Piker, who has said he was raised Muslim but is non-practicing, called himself a victim of a "coordinated smear campaign" and Islamophobia.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

"In recent months, we've been suffering a smear campaign against one of our players."

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

“By the consistent dissemination of facts and evidence, we made sure that justice prevailed,” Freedman said, adding that his team has maintained from the beginning that there was no sexual harassment, retaliation or smear campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

An online smear campaign last month engulfed another Southern California mosque.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

Murky, speculative stuff, a smear campaign on a dead woman.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins