: orally communicated
also
: generated from or reliant on oral publicity
word-of-mouth customers
a word-of-mouth business
: 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
Rebecca Fraser-Thill, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
Max’s real-time hospital drama was well-reviewed and seemed to gather word-of-mouth momentum throughout its 15-episode season (which is now an unusually long order for a streaming show).
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025
American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Many of these methods have limited research behind them, and much of the information available is anecdotal (word of mouth).
—Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for word-of-mouth
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Adjective
Many organizations don’t post open roles on an actual job board, relying on word-of-mouth to send them their best job applicants instead.
—Rebecca Fraser-Thill, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025
Max’s real-time hospital drama was well-reviewed and seemed to gather word-of-mouth momentum throughout its 15-episode season (which is now an unusually long order for a streaming show).
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025
Noun phrase
Every purchase, every visit, every word of mouth recommendation makes a difference.
—American Booksellers Association, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Many of these methods have limited research behind them, and much of the information available is anecdotal (word of mouth).
—Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 8 Jun. 2025.
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