a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report: a slander against his good name.
Law. defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc.
verb (used with object)
to utter slander against; defame.
verb (used without object)
to utter or circulate slander.
Origin of slander
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun s(c)laundre, from Anglo-French esclaundre, Old French esclandre, alteration of escandle, from Late Latin scandalum “cause of offense, snare” (see scandal); Middle English verb s(c)laundren “to cause to lapse morally, bring to disgrace, discredit, defame,” from Anglo-French esclaund(e)rer, from Old French esc(l)andrer, esc(l)andir, derivative of esclandre
slan·der·ous·ness,nounnon·slan·der·ous,adjectiveoutslander,verb (used with object)qua·si-slan·der·ous,adjectivequa·si-slan·der·ous·ly,adverbre·slan·der,verb (used with object)un·slan·dered,adjectiveun·slan·der·ous,adjectiveun·slan·der·ous·ly,adverbun·slan·der·ous·ness,noun
“Libel” vs. “Slander”: How To Tell The DifferenceDon't be insulted if you didn't know the difference between libel and slander. Learn when to use each word for different kinds of defamation.