How to Use defame in a Sentence

defame

verb
  • He says he was defamed by reports that falsely identified him as a former gangster.
  • That leaves only the claim that he was defamed.
    — Stephen L. Carter, Twin Cities, 18 Sep. 2025
  • That leaves only the claim that he was defamed.
    — Stephen L. Carter, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
  • And for those that have been trying to defame me with those false stories, the truth will be coming.
    — Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
  • Depp, 59, however, was found to have defamed her on one of three claims.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 9 May 2023
  • Heard's lawyers say the article is accurate and does not defame him.
    — CBS News, 20 Apr. 2022
  • So these bad movies are often not just lousy, but bad ambassadors, defaming us in the eyes of the world.
    — Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec. 2017
  • To prove defamation, a plaintiff must prove who exactly defamed them.
    — Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2023
  • Jackson said last week he had been defamed by false accusations and lost his job as a result.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN, 21 June 2017
  • Heard's lawyers say the article is accurate and doesn't defame him.
    — CBS News, 21 Apr. 2022
  • The jury also found that Depp defamed Heard in the course of fighting back against her charges.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 25 Aug. 2023
  • Names have been removed from the stories, so as not to defame anyone, but each entry is tagged with the author's school.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 6 Mar. 2021
  • And the guy at Columbia who was defamed by the woman with a mattress would be happy, too.
    — Christine Flowers, Alaska Dispatch News, 14 Aug. 2017
  • In regards to Heard's countersuit brought against Depp, he was found to have defamed her on one of three claims.
    — Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
  • The lawsuit also says Smith defamed Artharee by stating he had been fired from his job.
    — oregonlive.com, 28 Aug. 2019
  • While both parties were found to have defamed the other, Depp walked away the victor in the court of public opinion.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2023
  • Trump contended that he was defamed as Stephanopoulos did not make the distinction.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 July 2024
  • Trump contended that he was defamed as Stephanopoulos did not make the distinction.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Allen’s countersuits claim that one of the women defamed him and that the other illegally took his cell phone.
    — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 13 July 2023
  • In the process of court I have been fragmented, silenced, defamed and traumatized.
    — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 25 June 2026
  • Both Favre and Palin insist jurors, not judges, should determine whether they were defamed.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Sep. 2024
  • Some have even called for monarchy reform, an act unthinkable just months ago in a country where those who defame the king can be sentenced to prison.
    — Fortune, 20 Aug. 2020
  • Fox signed a settlement in 2015 agreeing not to defame the board anymore.
    — Paul Brinkmann, OrlandoSentinel.com, 30 May 2018
  • In exchange, Giuliani will pay an undisclosed amount of money and promises not to defame the women again.
    — Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
  • These videos mislead the public and can defame individuals or groups.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Garcia said the ordeal was a misunderstanding and that the restaurant has defamed him.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
  • Yet still to this day in Colorado, anyone who questions logging is at best censored, at worst publicly defamed as a liar.
    — Josh Schlossberg, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
  • Yet still to this day in Colorado, anyone who questions logging is at best censored, at worst publicly defamed as a liar.
    — Josh Schlossberg, Denver Post, 10 May 2026
  • Marquez’s suit also lists anyone who has worked with Gibson to defame Marquez, though none are named.
    — oregonlive.com, 3 June 2019
  • Because Ashley's defamation claim failed, her claim that her siblings had conspired to defame her likewise failed.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defame.' 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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