whispering campaign
noun
the organized spreading of insinuations or rumors to destroy the reputation of a person, organization, etc.
Nearby words
whisky-jack, whisper, whispered, whisperer, whispering, whispering campaign, whispering gallery, whisperous, whispery, whist, whist drive
Origin of whispering campaign
First recorded in 1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for whispering campaign
whispering campaign
noun
the organized diffusion by word of mouth of defamatory rumours designed to discredit a person, group, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with whispering campaign
whispering campaign
A deliberate spreading of derogatory rumors about a candidate, as in That whispering campaign destroyed his chances for election. [c. 1920]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.