smear campaign

noun

a campaign to tarnish the reputation of a public figure, especially by vilification or innuendo.

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Idioms and Phrases

An attempt to ruin a reputation by slander or vilification, as in This press agent is well known for starting smear campaigns against her clients' major competitors . This phrase was first recorded in 1938 and uses smear in the sense of “an attempt to discredit” or “slander.”

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Example Sentences

A vicious Twitter smear campaign against the Harry Potter author may have been the work of secret agents, says one British pol.

From The Daily Beast

Alinejad says that in her work she had been imprisoned, physically attacked, and the victim of a smear campaign.

From The Daily Beast

As a result, The Net Party found themselves on the ugly side of an all-out smear campaign.

From The Daily Beast

Conservatives have also twisted themselves in knots to present themselves as victims of a smear campaign.

From The Daily Beast

But the practice of the Oscar smear campaign is nothing new.

From The Daily Beast

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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