defame
/dɪˈfeɪm/verb, adjective
defame is spelled D-E-F-A-M-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, defame means “To disgrace; to bring into disrepute” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in defame?
| Letters | 6: D-E-F-A-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,129th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is defame?
Defame appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce defame?
- UK /dɪˈfeɪm/
Defame has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-defame.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with defame?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as defame from its last stressed vowel (/eɪm/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of defame
- defames present, singular, he/she/it
- defaming participle, present
- defamed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does defame mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To disgrace; to bring into disrepute.
- 2
To charge; to accuse (someone) of an offence.
Rebecca is […] defamed of sorcery practised on the person of a noble knight.
- 3
To harm or diminish the reputation of; to disparage.
to defame somebody
adjective
- 1
Synonym of defamed.
noun
- 1
archaicDisgrace, dishonour.
- 2
archaicnonstandardDefamation; slander, libel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Defame in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to harm, to diminish the reputation of:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | diffamer |
| German | diffamieren |
| Portuguese | difamar |
| Spanish | difamar, arruinar la reputación, disfamar, dejemplar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does defame come from?
From Middle English defamen, from Anglo-Norman defamer (verb), defame (noun), and its source, Latin diffāmō, from fāma (“fame; rumour; reputation”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).