1. past tense of monger; to promote or spread something (typically something undesirable) in a sensational or irresponsible way
Usage: often used in compounds like ‘fear-mongered’ or ‘war-mongered’

Examples

• The politician mongered fear about immigration during the campaign.
• Critics accused the media of having mongered panic about the new technology.
• He mongered rumors about his business competitors.
• The tabloids mongered sensational stories to boost sales.
• They mongered conspiracy theories on social media.
• The candidate mongered division among voters.