review bomb

American  

[ri-vyoo bom] / rɪˈvyu ˌbɒm /

verb (used with object)

Digital Technology.

1. to manipulate an online rating system with a semiorganized campaign of unfavorable user reviews, often as a general statement of disapproval for a creator, a publisher, or other business, rather than a genuine opinion about a specific product or experience.

   The game was review bombed by angry players after the publisher blocked fan-created content.

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Other Word Forms

• review bomber noun

Etymology

Origin of review bomb

First recorded in 2015–20

Example Sentences

Mr. Toto said there were efforts to “review bomb” the movie by posting negative comments before the film’s debut, but that Rotten Tomatoes rejected them.

From Washington Times

Confused podcast listeners helpfully review bomb Apple Podcasts You might recall people pointing out months ago that Apple Podcasts maintained an abysmally low app rating.

From The Verge

When users began to review bomb the app last Thursday, Robinhood reached a one-star rating with nearly 275,000 reviews.

From The Verge

Metacritic is not the only platform tackling a review bomb problem.

From The Verge

The company has dealt with trolls using “review bomb” tactics to purposely target certain movies — thousands of people flocked to Rotten Tomatoes to negatively review films like Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Black Panther because of the directors’ implicit or explicit critique of subjects like racism and sexism.

From The Verge