bad-mouth

verb

ˈbad-ˌmau̇th How to pronounce bad-mouth (audio)
-ˌmau̇t͟h
bad-mouthed; bad-mouthing; bad-mouths
Synonyms of bad-mouthnext

transitive verb

: to criticize severely

Synonyms of bad-mouth

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Examples of bad-mouth in a Sentence

she promptly bad-mouthed that awful movie to everyone she knew
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
He also bad-mouths my son’s wife. — Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 8 June 2026 Most of the people who were bad-mouthing Titanic had not seen so much as a minute of film. — Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025 This is not some glossy revisionist history of a person’s life; the man had a beautiful soul who didn’t have it in him to bad-mouth a cockroach. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025 Ranting on LinkedIn and bad-mouthing your ex-employer or naming and shaming your last negative recruitment experience won’t help you either. — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bad-mouth

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bad-mouth was in 1933

Browse Nearby Words

badminton
bad-mouth
bad name
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bad-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad-mouth. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

bad-mouth

verb
-ˌmau̇th, 
-ˈmaut͟h
: to say bad things about
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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