libel
noun/ˈlaɪbl/
/ˈlaɪbl/
[uncountable, countable]- the act of printing a statement about somebody that is not true and that gives people a bad opinion of them; the statement that is printed
- He sued the newspaper for libel.
- libel against somebody The article was a serious libel against the professor.
- a libel action (= a case in a court of law)
- In a libel action a newspaper must prove that any comments it printed are true.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- alleged
- criminal
- seditious
- …
- sue (somebody) for
- claim
- deny
- …
- action
- case
- lawsuit
- …
- libel against
Word OriginMiddle English (in the general sense ‘a document, a written statement’): via Old French from Latin libellus, diminutive of liber ‘book’.
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libel