as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
the governor's office issued a statement accusing the state's largest newspaper of libel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to smear
to make untrue and harmful statements about
the court decided that the newspaper's reportage of the former mayor, while irresponsible, did not constitute an effort to libel him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of libel
Ken Sweet, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Trump originally accused the bank of trade libel and violating state and federal unfair and deceptive trade practices.
—Ken Sweet, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
Wright got so big on social media even Piers Morgan invited her to libel Jay Z and Beyonce on his platform.
—Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for libel
Noun
Trump originally accused the bank of trade libel and violating state and federal unfair and deceptive trade practices.
—Ken Sweet, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Trump originally accused the bank of trade libel and violating state and federal unfair and deceptive trade practices.
—Ken Sweet, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Verb
Please ask your daughter to stop libeling Miss Manners.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
Wright got so big on social media even Piers Morgan invited her to libel Jay Z and Beyonce on his platform.
—Rob Marriott, VIBE.com, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for libel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for libel
Noun
-
King sued the league for defamation and the city of Independence for violating his civil rights.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Lake Court House Foundation permanently banned five individuals, including a local photographer, from entering the property’s bounds due to allegations of trespassing and defamation.—
Anna Ortiz,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Clearly, the presence of sugar was no deterrent, as the dog appeared to have enthusiastically investigated the fallen bag, emerging with powdered evidence smeared across his face.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said a man hurled pages of the Quran and smeared feces on the door of the mosque.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
People tried to murder him, incarcerate him, slander him.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Now, the ultimate question of whether Walters slandered Miller will return to the district court.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Some of the humor was mildly edgy, including jokes about pedophiles, the Epstein files and disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Radcliffe plays Arthur, a documentary filmmaker hired by Morgan’s disgraced former football player, Reggie, to make a The Last Dance–style documentary and facilitate Reggie’s comeback.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
These videos mislead the public and can defame individuals or groups.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Pournouri had alleged that a Netflix documentary two years before the 2018 death of the DJ, whose real name is Tim Bergling, and two posthumously released books defamed him, violating a 2016 agreement that supposedly prevented Bergling from speaking about their partnership.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Dublin congressman told KRON that the White House hopes to discredit him in the race as a frequent critic and to boost the chances of his Republican rivals.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
That is certainly one way to discredit someone.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Libel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/libel. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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