bad news

noun

plural in form but singular in construction
: one that is troublesome, unwelcome, or dangerous
stay away from him, he's bad news

Examples of bad news in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
So with official jobs data due out on Wednesday, delayed by several days because of the brief partial government shutdown, analysts say stocks could go even lower on bad news — or even on news that looks too good. John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026 Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to sack their manager after a hugely disappointing 38-game tenure is obviously bad news for Thomas Frank. Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026 Every time stocks take a step back in reaction to bad news, a relentless wave of buy-the-dippers has sent them back upward again. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026 Trump, on the other hand, tends to layer on more controversy and bad news on top of other bad news. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 7 Feb. 2026 This is, once more, another piece of bad news for Greenlanders. Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026 The recent headlines are the latest in a series of controversies and bad news for the future queen of Norway. Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 6 Feb. 2026 Nonetheless, this was taken as bad news for legal divisions everywhere, the shockwaves of which were felt in the larger market. Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Feb. 2026 In nondemocratic regimes, senior officials wall themselves off from reality because their underlings are afraid to deliver bad news. Donald Moynihan, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bad news was in 1917

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Cite this Entry

“Bad news.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20news. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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