word-of-mouth

1 of 2

adjective

: orally communicated
also : generated from or reliant on oral publicity
word-of-mouth customers
a word-of-mouth business

word of mouth

2 of 2

noun phrase

: oral communication
especially : oral often inadvertent publicity

Examples of word-of-mouth in a Sentence

Adjective not having the money to run ads, the restaurant relies on word-of-mouth publicity
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.
Adjective
But the strong word-of-mouth and constant touring made crafting the band’s debut album an intimidating task. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025 However, the competition for talent will remain fierce, and small businesses will need to embrace more creative recruitment strategies as many still rely heavily on word-of-mouth referrals. Allbusiness, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun phrase
The first one had enough word of mouth to triple its first weekend and gross $45 million; the $40 million sequel has a chance to repeat that. Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire, 12 Jan. 2025 The studio decided to hold it back another week and turn Wicked into a New Year’s Eve event for families, and generated solid word of mouth for the PVOD release after its December 26 announcement via social, digital and TV promotion including a Rose Parade float. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for word-of-mouth 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1817, in the meaning defined above

Noun Phrase

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of word-of-mouth was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near word-of-mouth

word of honor

word-of-mouth

word of mouth

Cite this Entry

“Word-of-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word-of-mouth. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

word of mouth

: spoken communication
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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