libels

verb

present tense third-person singular of libel
as in smears
to make untrue and harmful statements about the court decided that the newspaper's reportage of the former mayor, while irresponsible, did not constitute an effort to libel him

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for libels
smears
Verb
  • Offshore dollar savings and onshore settlement demand are diverging, and the supply chart smears the two together.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • In other words, the show is a celebration of America’s 250th birthday, but one that smears a little cake on the country’s face.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 June 2026
Definition of smears
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.

Browse Nearby Words

libelous
libels
liberal
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Cite this Entry

“Libels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libels. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on libels

Nglish: Translation of libels for Spanish Speakers

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