defamed; defaming
1
law
: to harm the reputation of by communicating false statements about : to harm the reputation of by libel (see libel entry 1 sense 2a) or slander (see slander entry 2 sense 2)
defamed her character
2
archaic
: accuse
defamed of witchcraft
3
archaic
: disgrace
defamer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of defame in a Sentence
He says he was defamed by reports that falsely identified him as a former gangster.
of course I want to win the election, but I refuse to defame my opponent in order to do so
Recent Examples on the Web
Someone else asked if the Mercedes was the same one he had been ordered to turn over to the Georgia election officials he had been found guilty of defaming.
—
The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Rudy Giuliani owes two Georgia poll workers $148 million for defaming them.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
The lawsuit does not claim Trump was defamed by the network, said Geoffrey R. Stone, a First Amendment scholar and law professor at the University of Chicago, who reviewed the complaint.
—CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024
Laughlin claims the weekly Erie Reader and Wertz defamed him by publishing an opinion piece by Wertz — who was a contributing editor and writer for the publication before his state Senate bid — that accused Laughlin and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of seeking a pardon over the 2020 election.
—USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defame 
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The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Rudy Giuliani owes two Georgia poll workers $148 million for defaming them.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
The lawsuit does not claim Trump was defamed by the network, said Geoffrey R. Stone, a First Amendment scholar and law professor at the University of Chicago, who reviewed the complaint.
—CBS News, 31 Oct. 2024
Laughlin claims the weekly Erie Reader and Wertz defamed him by publishing an opinion piece by Wertz — who was a contributing editor and writer for the publication before his state Senate bid — that accused Laughlin and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of seeking a pardon over the 2020 election.
—USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defame
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Dictionary Entries Near defame
Cite this Entry
“Defame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defame. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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Legal Definition
defame
transitive verb
de·fame
di-ˈfām 
defamed; defaming
: to make the subject of defamation
defamer
noun
Etymology
Medieval Latin defamare, alteration of Latin diffamare to spread news of, defame, from dis-, prefix marking dispersal or removal + fama reputation
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