as in to dismiss
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
she promptly bad-mouthed that awful movie to everyone she knew
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Recent Examples of bad-mouth
This was a departure from Mourinho and Conte, who both moaned about investment, attacked the club culture, exited unceremoniously, and bad-mouthed them afterward.
—
Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
The neighbor's negative response—bad-mouthing OP to others—reflects an entitlement mindset, Sprowl noted.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
The vulnerable Mayfair he’s sent to woo is new character Moira, who’s been getting on everybody’s nerves by bad-mouthing Lasher for second-degree murdering her sister Tessa.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2025
Apparently, Sue has been putting all of her time not already occupied by bad-mouthing Kyle into digging under rocks and cliffs looking for idols.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Leading up to the premiere of It Ends With Us last year, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached an uneasy truce in which it was agreed that neither side would bad-mouth the other to the press.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2025
John Legend isn't about to let anyone bad-mouth the people in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2024
He was eventually allowed in — but only after other SEALs threatened to leave and bad-mouth the bar.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Sabatini, a former state rep, has kissed up slavishly to Donald Trump, often by repeatedly bad-mouthing fellow Republicans — including Ron DeSantis — in an effort to curry favor with the former president.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 17 June 2024
Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
The neighbor's negative response—bad-mouthing OP to others—reflects an entitlement mindset, Sprowl noted.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
The vulnerable Mayfair he’s sent to woo is new character Moira, who’s been getting on everybody’s nerves by bad-mouthing Lasher for second-degree murdering her sister Tessa.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2025
Apparently, Sue has been putting all of her time not already occupied by bad-mouthing Kyle into digging under rocks and cliffs looking for idols.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
Leading up to the premiere of It Ends With Us last year, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reached an uneasy truce in which it was agreed that neither side would bad-mouth the other to the press.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2025
John Legend isn't about to let anyone bad-mouth the people in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2024
He was eventually allowed in — but only after other SEALs threatened to leave and bad-mouth the bar.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Sabatini, a former state rep, has kissed up slavishly to Donald Trump, often by repeatedly bad-mouthing fellow Republicans — including Ron DeSantis — in an effort to curry favor with the former president.
—Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 17 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bad-mouth
Verb
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Heyman dismissed fans on social media who have failed to give Rollins his flowers, saying he’s seen pro wrestlers fail in the ring and seen praise on social media for them while others spout nonsense while ignoring historical facts.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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On March 4, the day the order to show cause was to be heard, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This eliminates manual scaling inefficiencies, ensuring high availability while minimizing energy consumption.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Properly applied mulch prevents weed seeds from reaching the soil, stopping weed growth and minimizing competition for nutrients and water.—
Maryal Miller Carter,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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She was criticized by some for her expensive timepiece and for using prisoners as production props.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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Those signings by Guerin were, at the time, criticized as being premature.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Whereas a decline in home values diminishes the equity investors might hold in their properties, which limits their ability to leverage assets for additional investments or refinancing opportunities.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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Meanwhile, a more constrained and domestically focused healthcare agenda is likely to diminish trust in federal health agencies, limit access to culturally competent care and produce a loss of global leadership in health innovation.—
Robert Pearl,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The steps to scale back climate research are the latest in a series of actions the administration has used to disparage decades of climate science and atmospheric research under both Republican and Democrat presidencies.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
12 Apr. 2025
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Booker’s Senate stunt was a means to portray himself as a great orator, a leader who is empathetic to the average individual disparaged by billionaire types and President Donald Trump.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Respecting, not denigrating the institutions designed to defend American democracy is one of the most important.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Apr. 2025
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Superpower Weaponry One of the things that makes America truly exceptional throughout the world—its core principle of assimilating immigrants who strive for a safer, freer life—has been denigrated for the sake of short-term political gain.—
Penny Abeywardena,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Think Regina George in Mean Girls, Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, or Cher Horowitz in Clueless—characters who derive power from their ability to belittle and exclude.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
8 Apr. 2025
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At one point, the hearing shifted to concerns about hostile, belittling comments that Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made about America’s European allies.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bad-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bad-mouth. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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