smear campaign

American  

noun

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

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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.”

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Example Sentences

Blake Lively sought more than $161 million in damages, alleging a smear campaign by Baldoni and his team harmed her reputation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The Center for Responsible Lending says the industry is “using false allegations as part of a smear campaign to distract from the clear harm caused by their products.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

The problem with this smear campaign is that we have the receipts.

From Salon • Jan. 26, 2026

And for Olympic ice dancing champion Cizeron, it was a welcome break from off-ice issues – earlier this week he accused former partner Gabriella Papadakis of spreading false information about him in a "smear campaign".

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

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

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins