scan ‧ dal /ˈskændl/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Late Latin ; Origin: scandalum 'offense' , from Greek skandalon ]
1 . [countable] an event in which someone, especially someone important, behaves in a bad way that shocks people:
It caused quite a scandal when he left his wife.
The college has recently been involved in a drugs scandal.
He has been at the centre of a political scandal.
a major scandal involving the government
a series of financial scandals
a sex scandal that ruined his reputation
They had already left the country when the scandal broke.
2 . [uncountable] talk about dishonest or immoral things that famous or important people are believed to have done:
The magazine is full of gossip and scandal.
3 . be a scandal British English spoken to be very shocking or unacceptable:
The price of petrol these days is an absolute scandal!
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ cause a scandal
The vicar caused a scandal by having an affair with a young woman.
▪ be involved in a scandal
A senior government official is involved in a political scandal.
▪ be implicated in a scandal (=be suspected of being involved)
One of the ministers implicated in the scandal resigned.
▪ be at the centre of a scandal British English , be at the center of a scandal American English
The banker at the centre of the scandal has disappeared.
▪ uncover/expose a scandal
The scandal was uncovered by a journalist.
▪ a scandal breaks (=becomes known)
When the scandal broke in 1990, it forced the resignation of the bank's chairman.
▪ a scandal erupts (=becomes known with serious effects)
A major scandal erupted in Washington last year.
▪ the scandal surrounding something
They had tried to protect the prime minster from the scandal surrounding the arms sales.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + scandal
▪ a big/major scandal
The president was forced to resign following a major scandal.
▪ a financial scandal (=involving money)
He was suspected of involvement in a major financial scandal.
▪ a political scandal (=involving politicians)
The Health Secretary now finds himself at the centre of a political scandal.
▪ a corruption scandal (=involving illegal payments)
a major police corruption scandal
▪ a sex scandal
There are rumours of a sex scandal involving senior government ministers.
▪ a public scandal (=one that people know about and discuss)
The award was soon the centre of a public scandal.
▪ the Watergate/Whitewater etc scandal (=the scandal involving a particular place, organization etc)
The name of Richard Nixon will forever be associated with the Watergate scandal.
▪ the worst scandal (=the biggest or most shocking)
Total losses resulting from India's worst financial scandal amounted to Rs31,000 million.
■ phrases
▪ a hint/whiff of scandal (=the suggestion that someone may be involved in a scandal)
He vowed that no hint of scandal would ever be attached to him.