1. attacks the reputation of someone by saying or writing bad things about them that are not true
Usage: third person singular present tense of ‘defame’

Examples

• The article defames the politician with false accusations.
• She sued the newspaper because it defames her character.
• The gossip columnist regularly defames celebrities.
• He defames his former business partner in interviews.
• The campaign ad defames the opponent unfairly.
• Social media sometimes defames people without evidence.