as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the governor's office issued a statement accusing the state's largest newspaper of libel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to smear
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of libel
Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
Baldoni and some of the other plaintiffs — including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel — have already filed a lawsuit of their own, though that one was a libel complaint against The New York Times over its story about Lively’s harassment and smear campaign allegations.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2025
Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Angered by both the initial post and the follow-up, Mann filed a lawsuit against National Review in October of 2012, claiming that both Steyn and Lowry had not only libeled him, but were guilty of the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
—The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for libel 
Noun
Baldoni sued The New York Times on New Year's Eve in a $250 million lawsuit, alleging libel after the news organization published his co-star's smear campaign accusations.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025
Baldoni and some of the other plaintiffs — including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel — have already filed a lawsuit of their own, though that one was a libel complaint against The New York Times over its story about Lively’s harassment and smear campaign allegations.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
Luckily for anyone still Christmas shopping, however, the court has continued pressing Giuliani for his assets, which are expected to be sold at auction to pay for a portion of the damages owed to the plaintiffs, whom Giuliani libelled with false claims of election malfeasance.
—Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Angered by both the initial post and the follow-up, Mann filed a lawsuit against National Review in October of 2012, claiming that both Steyn and Lowry had not only libeled him, but were guilty of the intentional infliction of emotional distress.
—The Editors, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for libel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for libel
Noun
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Gallagher has reportedly already thrown one lawsuit at Banksy for defamation in another case.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
11 Feb. 2025
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The remark was a reference to Drake’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over the track.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Nevertheless, Trump made attacking trans athletes a major issue on the campaign trail, even smearing Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif, a cis woman, as an abusive trans woman days before the November 2024 election.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them,
7 Feb. 2025
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Presently, my then-one-year-old son toddled into the room and proceeded to smear his sticky hands all over the walls of our den.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In light of her work, Hickson has been slandered as a pedophile.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2025
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Knox was convicted of slandering her former boss Patrick Lumumba by falsely accusing him of Kercher’s murder.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Loading your audio article With the San Jose District 3 special election less than two months away, candidates in the crowded field to replace disgraced former Councilmember Omar Torres have begun to roll out their policy platforms in hopes of winning the support of voters.—
Devan Patel,
The Mercury News,
13 Feb. 2025
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Pardons Conrad Black President Donald Trump signed a full pardon on May 15, 2019, for the former executive of the Chicago Sun-Times’ parent company and disgraced media mogul.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In 2023, Dominion Voting Systems received a historic $787 million settlement with Fox News over allegations the broadcaster defamed the election equipment company.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Jan. 2025
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On June 1, a seven-person jury reached a verdict, deciding that Depp proved ex-wife Heard defamed him.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Lucy’s husband, Justin (Mark Coles Smith), is one of the journalists who trains his sights on Gibson as a safer target for frustration than his spouse, and out of a vain hope discrediting Gibson will persuade Lucy to resume chemotherapy.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2025
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Privately, former officials who worked for Thao and other city officials have attempted to discredit Webb’s allegations, which have quietly raised eyebrows and skepticism around the town’s political circles for some time.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
The Mercury News,
2 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near libel
Cite this Entry
“Libel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libel. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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