How to Use bad actor in a Sentence

bad actor

noun
  • The regime is bad actors for sure.
    — ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Wasn’t the fire just the work of a few bad actors?
    — Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
  • That’s not to say there haven’t been hints that bad actors have come through.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Maduro is a bad actor, but beware.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Secret systems give bad actors a place to hide.
    — MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
  • One bad actor could undo years of careful progress.
    — Adam Frank, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Amazon works great for entrepreneurs, but there are bad actors.
    — USA TODAY, 8 July 2023
  • And these bad actors in retail stores and event parking lots across the state are not alone.
    — The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 14 Aug. 2025
  • As in any genre, there were good and bad actors, and people can be deeply moved by either.
    — Vulture, 28 Sep. 2023
  • There are bad actors in every setting.
    — Lucy Feldman, Time, 17 Dec. 2025
  • There will always be bad actors who try to take advantage of new laws.
    — James Gelfand, STAT, 20 Mar. 2026
  • This helps no one except bad actors who had no business wearing the badge.
    — E.d. Cauchi, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2025
  • But as with any sector of society, there are bad actors who cheat to get ahead.
    — Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2023
  • With that amount of money being wagered, there are bound to be bad actors.
    — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • With that amount of money being wagered, there are bound to be bad actors.
    — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • But big payouts entice bad actors.
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The investment comes at a time when ports are in dire need of help to fend off attacks from bad actors.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
  • This is a strategy on the part of these bad actors to avoid scrutiny.
    — William La Jeunesse, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
  • In short, everything a bad actor needs to get away with identity theft on a large scale.
    — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Because the truth is that when decent people tune out, bad actors end up winning.
    — Sasha Abramsky, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024
  • How is Roblox keeping kids and bad actors from moving off the platform?
    — Nicole Carpenter, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
  • There’s an episode of Bad Monkey that requires you to act like a bad actor.
    — Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Aug. 2024
  • The bill also includes measures aimed at cracking down on bad actors.
    — Marc Hogan, Pitchfork, 11 Dec. 2023
  • The bill would make bad actors liable for triple court fees if their filings are found fraudulent.
    — Melody Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
  • But at the same time, bad actors have abused the satellite internet system.
    — PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Turn off chat functions to limit their exposure to bad actors.
    — Sam Woodward, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
  • The Hall of Fame, many argue, is already full of bad actors, cheaters and racists.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
  • Any back door of any sort can be exploited by bad actors, and Apple has been right to dig its heels in.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Sean was not afraid to level an F-bomb upon someone who was a bully or a bad actor.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 22 July 2024
  • Schmidt warned that without enforcement, these rogue models could spread unchecked and be used for harm by bad actors.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bad actor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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