bad actor
noun
plural bad actors
: a person, group, country, etc. who purposely and usually repeatedly engages in very bad behavior (such as committing crimes or causing harm to others)
Giving users a way to prove that they're being harassed with, say, a screenshot or some other form of authentication could help Twitter catch bad actors, even after they've covered their tracks.—
Issie Lapowsky
Issie LapowskyA perennial diplomatic bad actor, North Korea has already rattled its sabers at the opening of the Obama administration.—Alex Kingsbury
Alex Kingsbury"We've got to break away from the notion," as the U.A.W.'s [United Auto Workers] director of public relations, Peter G. Laarman, puts it, "that labor is a 'bad actor' in the economy. …"—Harry Stein
Harry Stein
also
: something that causes trouble, danger, or a problem
The bad actor in male pattern hair loss is DHT, a metabolic product of testosterone. —Jane E. Brody
Jane E. Brody We have special ducts throughout the vapor bath that carry away all the toxic bad actors. —PC Today
PC Today Examples of bad actor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Reports help regulators track patterns and target bad actors.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
The investment comes at a time when ports are in dire need of help to fend off attacks from bad actors.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Intrusion Prevention helps block off bad actors at the network level, and the package also includes a full firewall system.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 14 May 2026
While Capital One's lawsuit seeks damages, the bank said its primary goal of the litigation is to expose and deter bad actors and the firms that enable them.
—Stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bad actor
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026
The investment comes at a time when ports are in dire need of help to fend off attacks from bad actors.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Intrusion Prevention helps block off bad actors at the network level, and the package also includes a full firewall system.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 14 May 2026
While Capital One's lawsuit seeks damages, the bank said its primary goal of the litigation is to expose and deter bad actors and the firms that enable them.
—Stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bad actor
Cite this Entry
“Bad actor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20actor. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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