From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdefamede‧fame /dɪˈfeɪm/ verb [transitive] SCCto write or say bad or untrue things about someone or something, so that people will have a bad opinion of them —defamatory /dɪˈfæmətəri $ -tɔːri/ adjective→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
defame• Other Defences Consent People can - and often do for large sums of money - agree to be defamed.• California employers already can be held responsible for defaming a departing worker with a negative reference.• They had been successfully denied, defamed and ridiculed.• Religious leaders say the novel defames Islam.• A public apology defames the author of the article apologised for by suggesting that the author has written carelessly.• Last year, a jury ruled that the Goughs did not defame the Conrads.• Disseminating for the purpose of undermining or weakening the Soviet regime slanderous fabrications which defame the Soviet state and social system.• Of course, teachers can also sue individuals who defame them.Origin defame (1300-1400) Old French deffamer, from Latin fama; → FAME 