: orally communicated
also
: generated from or reliant on oral publicity
word-of-mouth customers
a word-of-mouth business
: oral communication
especially
: oral often inadvertent publicity
Examples of word-of-mouth in a Sentence
Adjective
not having the money to run ads, the restaurant relies on word-of-mouth publicity
Recent Examples on the Web
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Jan. 2026
Rudin, of course, is no stranger to controversy or hard feelings, and the play’s less-than-happy ending might have dampened word-of-mouth, but the playwright, the cast and the director deserved a heartier Broadway embrace.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Certified Fresh at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and with exit polls showing outstanding word of mouth across demographics, Marty Supreme is hitting with younger moviegoers.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for word-of-mouth
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Adjective
Looking toward 2026, Lai emphasized the industry must continue refining its content pipeline, attracting diverse audience segments with high-quality films combining popularity, strong word-of-mouth, and freshness to unlock further growth potential.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Jan. 2026
Rudin, of course, is no stranger to controversy or hard feelings, and the play’s less-than-happy ending might have dampened word-of-mouth, but the playwright, the cast and the director deserved a heartier Broadway embrace.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun phrase
And retatrutide is spreading through old-fashioned word of mouth—like with Katie and her hairdresser—because its effects are just so visible.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Certified Fresh at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and with exit polls showing outstanding word of mouth across demographics, Marty Supreme is hitting with younger moviegoers.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for word-of-mouth
Cite this Entry
“Word-of-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word-of-mouth. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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