libel

«libel» in Mova's school dictionary: A false written or published statement that damages a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (libel — uncountable; a libel, libels); verb (libel, libels, libelled, libelling — UK; libeled, libeling — US)

meaning for a pupil

1) (law) A false written or published statement that damages a person's good name. tree →

2) (verb) To publish something false that harms someone's reputation. tree →

sense in the lessons

In law and the news: people sue newspapers for libel. It is linked to honesty and ethics: saying untrue harmful things about someone is wrong and can be against the law. Libel is written (or in print, online, on TV); slander is spoken.

examples

• The singer sued the newspaper for libel. tree →
• Writing lies about someone online can be libel. tree →
• The judge said the article was a libel. tree →
• He was accused of libelling his neighbour. tree →
• Truth is a defence against libel. tree →
• The paper had to pay a large sum for the libel. tree →

note

Do not confuse with «label» (a tag with information) or «liable» (responsible by law). Libel = written; slander = spoken; both are called defamation. UK spelling doubles l: libelled.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «libel» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.