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

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

Cizeron called this a "smear campaign" and "false information", and is taking legal action.

From BBC

Gaiman, the bestselling fantasy author behind “The Sandman” comic books, and novels and shows “American Gods” and “Good Omens,” called the allegations, which emerged in the summer of 2024, a “smear campaign” that are “simply and completely untrue.”

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Salon

In a post Tuesday on the social platform X, he called Naroditsky’s death an “immense tragedy” and said that, in the immediate aftermath, “a cynical smear campaign was launched, unjustly linking me — without any factual basis — to Daniel’s untimely death.”

From Los Angeles Times