How to Use bad actor in a Sentence

bad actor

noun
Definition of bad actornext
  • Conversely, any reluctance that law enforcement can engender around the application undermines bad actors who might use it.
    — Brady Dale, Axios, 8 Aug. 2024
  • One problem is that existing law does not explicitly require banks to reimburse customers who authorize transactions induced by bad actors.
    — Matt Egan, CNN, 2 Aug. 2024
  • And the notion that Snapchat might be a hub for bad actors?
    — Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2024
  • As in any genre, there were good and bad actors, and people can be deeply moved by either.
    — Vulture, 28 Sep. 2023
  • The appalling actions taken by the few bad actors who made the news for all the wrong reasons in the past few years should not reflect on the rest of us.
    — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 30 May 2024
  • But as with any sector of society, there are bad actors who cheat to get ahead.
    — Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 20 Nov. 2023
  • Amazon works great for entrepreneurs, but there are bad actors.
    — USA TODAY, 8 July 2023
  • Sean was not afraid to level an F-bomb upon someone who was a bully or a bad actor.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 22 July 2024
  • And the agency reasoned that a ban would not stop bad actors from continuing to front-run.
    — Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 21 Nov. 2023
  • As the moon clashes with Neptune, avoid needless risks, unhealthy vices, and bad actors.
    — USA TODAY, 11 Aug. 2023
  • To stop bad actors acquiring a technology, or shape the spread of nascent ideas around it?
    — Mustafa Suleyman, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
  • The bill also includes measures aimed at cracking down on bad actors.
    — Marc Hogan, Pitchfork, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Other bad actors receive the 340B discount but do not pass the savings on to uninsured patients.
    — Bill Cassidy, STAT, 5 July 2023
  • It’s set up to coax the sheriffs into compliance, rather than punish bad actors.
    — Erin Glynn, The Enquirer, 2 June 2024
  • And given the gang control over Port-au-Prince, bad actors control the flow of food to and from different communities.
    — Matt Rivers, ABC News, 31 July 2023
  • It’s often used to stop bad actors from trying to hack into people’s accounts.
    — Zoë Schiffer, WIRED, 14 Feb. 2024
  • Some bad actors use software to quickly bulk-buy tickets for resale at much higher prices.
    — Adam Beam, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Industry sources chalk up such cases to the work of a few bad actors, rather than inherent flaws with the clinical model.
    — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 2 Nov. 2023
  • Congress must keep up the oversight effort and hold bad actors accountable.
    — The Editors, National Review, 17 May 2024
  • Crypto moves so fast that even though bankruptcy courts tend to move faster than other courts, the delays involved can still give bad actors plenty of time to make moves.
    — Jessica Klein, Fortune, 6 July 2023
  • Unfortunately, there are a small number of bad actors who decide to breach contract terms or refuse to pay rent.
    — Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
  • There are too many ways bad actors can hijack our news cycle and misinform us on social media.
    — Landon Block, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024
  • It’s influenced by bad actors who will attempt to get on these platforms in new and innovative ways.
    — Barbara Ortutay, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
  • Adobe, the photo software maker, wants to hold bad actors who create these kinds of images accountable.
    — Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Federal officials have also warned that bad actors from within the U.S. are behind some of the attacks.
    — Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024
  • This uncertainty has already long acted as a drag on the pace of innovation and a feeding ground for bad actors.
    — Miles Jennings, Fortune Crypto, 15 July 2023
  • If you were affected, this meant the only thing between a bad actor and all of your passwords was the master password used to secure your LastPass account.
    — Allison Johnson, The Verge, 3 Jan. 2024
  • The argument for a closed system hinges on mitigating safety risks, preventing abuse by bad actors who get their hands on the code.
    — Richard Nieva, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
  • The sense that bad actors could be weeded out at the root was satisfying liberal fantasy, though.
    — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
  • Experts, however, have said that many bad actors are more than willing and able to pay up for inauthentic accounts on the platform.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN, 17 Oct. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bad actor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: