bad news
Americannoun
noun
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An unwelcome thing or person, trouble. For example, That fire was bad news; we were underinsured for the damage , or No one wants Mary on the board—she's bad news . This term transfers literal bad news—the report of an unhappy recent event—to an unwanted or undesirable individual or circumstance. [ Slang ; 1920s]
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The amount charged for something, as in Waiter, bring our check—I want to see the bad news . [ Slang ; 1920s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Had university officials declared any bad news on campus off-limits and dialed up a soothing Wolverine win?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
He asked a barista for guidance, and got the bad news: Starbucks had changed its chai formula.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Our findings were a good news, bad news story.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Maybe all the bad news is priced into the stock, setting it up for a rebound.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
“Okay, well, it looks like a two, which would be really bad news, but maybe it means four?”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
