slander
noun /ˈslɑːndə(r)/
/ˈslændər/
[countable, uncountable]- a false spoken statement intended to damage the good opinion people have of somebody; the legal offence of making this kind of statement
- a vicious slander on the company’s good name
- He's suing them for slander.
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmentc2- Many teachers saw the statement as a gross slander on their profession.
- I might have grounds for a slander suit.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- gross
- malicious
- vicious
- …
- be guilty of
- sue somebody for
- suit
- slander against
- slander on
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French esclandre, alteration of escandle, from late Latin scandalum ‘cause of offence’, from Greek skandalon ‘snare, stumbling block’.