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

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

The British-Egyptian activist at the centre of a political row appears to have endorsed new and baseless claims that he is the victim of a "smear campaign".

From BBC

Mittal, founder of the Oakland Institute, a human rights and development focused think tank in California, described Magnum's approach as a "public smear campaign" and said the allegations were unfounded.

From BBC

Wallace, the son of Biggie Smalls and singer Faith Evans, sued Hay for defamation in a Florida federal court last week, calling Hay’s recent interviews “a calculated smear campaign” that included false statements that he attended Combs’ so-called freak-off parties and “conspired to lure Hay to a location where Combs purportedly assaulted him.”

From Los Angeles Times

The 71-year-old Slovak-born politician has denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations a smear campaign.

From Barron's