de ‧ fame /dɪˈfeɪm/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: deffamer , from Latin fama ; ⇨ ↑ fame ]
to write or say bad or untrue things about someone or something, so that people will have a bad opinion of them
—defamatory /dɪˈfæmət ə ri $ -tɔːri/ adjective