Dictionary

defame

to damage the reputation of a person or a group of people by saying (=slander) or writing (=libel) bad things about them which are not true The right to free speech does not imply the right to defame us

Phrase Bank

  • He was found guilty of having defamed Judge Stevens.
  • It is not required that the person defamed heard or read the remark.
  • Ms Clinton considered that she had been defamed.
  • There was no intention to defame.

Additional Notes

  • Defame is a general term while libel and slander describe specific ways of defaming another person.