whispering campaign

American  

noun

1. the organized spreading of insinuations or rumors to destroy the reputation of a person, organization, etc.

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whispering campaign British  

noun

1. the organized diffusion by word of mouth of defamatory rumours designed to discredit a person, group, etc

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whispering campaign Idioms  

1. A deliberate spreading of derogatory rumors about a candidate, as in That whispering campaign destroyed his chances for election. [c. 1920]

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Etymology

Origin of whispering campaign

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Schweich, who was Christian but had Jewish ancestry, also had expressed angst to friends over what he perceived to be an anti-Semitic whispering campaign.

From Washington Times • Mar. 23, 2015

David Garth, Koch’s media guru, needed to defuse the whispering campaign, and Bess and Ed were friends.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2015

Regardless, China completed a sweep of all five badminton golds, but the treatment of the women, and a whispering campaign about doping against swimming sensation Ye Shiwen angered the Chinese.

From Reuters • Aug. 13, 2012

No longer simply the subject of a whispering campaign, Goldman is facing the most damaging allegation that can be levelled against a bank – that it tricked its own clients.

From The Guardian • Apr. 24, 2010

The keen competition fought very shy of Mr. Peacock, thanks to the Bish and his whispering campaign.

From Fore! by Loan, Charles Emmett Van