noun
slander
SLAHN-duh
noun
1
A false spoken statement that damages someone's reputation.
"She sued her former colleague for slander after he spread false rumors about her."
"The comments made on the radio show amounted to slander."
verb
1
To make a false and damaging spoken statement about someone.
"He accused the tabloid of slandering him on live television."
How to Use Slander
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDamaging someone's reputation with a false spoken claim.
Common mistake
Slander is spoken defamation; libel is written or published defamation. People often use them interchangeably, but legally they are different.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
sue for slander
slander someone
a slander case
Word Forms
slandered past tense, slanders plural, slanders singular
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She sued her former colleague for _____ after he spread false rumors about her.
Etymology
From Old French esclandre, ultimately from Greek skandalon ("stumbling block"), the same root that gives us "scandal."