brand someone a liar

Meaning

This expression means to publicly accuse someone of lying, or to label them as a liar in a way that permanently damages their reputation. It implies a strong, formal, or highly public accusation that is difficult for the accused person to shake off.

Examples

• The newspaper article branded him a liar without presenting any concrete evidence.

  The newspaper article branded him a liar without presenting any concrete evidence.

• She was devastated when her colleagues branded her a liar over a simple misunderstanding.

  She was devastated when her colleagues branded her a liar over a simple misunderstanding.

• You can't just brand someone a liar because you disagree with their version of events.

  You can't just brand someone a liar because you disagree with their version of events.

• After the scandal, he was branded a liar by the public and struggled to find another job.

  After the scandal, he was branded a liar by the public and struggled to find another job.

• The defense attorney tried to brand the key witness a liar during cross-examination.

  The defense attorney tried to brand the key witness a liar during cross-examination.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ They branded him as a liar.

  ✓ They branded him a liar.

  While 'branded as' is sometimes used in passive structures, the classic, strong idiomatic construction is 'brand someone [noun]' (e.g., 'brand him a liar') without 'as'.

• ✗ She was branded like a liar by her friends.

  ✓ She was branded a liar by her friends.

  Avoid using 'like' in this specific idiom; the noun directly follows the object or passive verb.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It is unfair to ___ just because they made one mistake in their statement.

  💡 Label a person as dishonest.

  Show answer

  brand someone a liar

• If the court finds out you hid the truth, the media will ___.

  💡 Publicly label you as untruthful.

  Show answer

  brand you a liar