bad apple
noun
plural bad apples
: someone who creates problems or causes trouble for others
They'll look for telltale signs that your broker's a bad apple: too much trading … or investments that are clearly too risky for someone like you.—
Daniel McGinn
Daniel McGinn
often, specifically
: a member of a group whose behavior reflects poorly on or negatively affects or influences the remainder of the group
As in many industries, this could well be a case of a few bad apples tarnishing the reputation of the rest. —Ian Giles
Ian Giles One bad apple in the bunch can destroy the cohesiveness of the team. —Do-It-Yourself Retailing
Do-It-Yourself Retailing … that individual brings down the rest of the team. This is the "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch" theory in action. —Shep Hyken
Shep Hyken Most people will be able to recall a situation where the bad mood or negative attitude of a colleague affected their workplace. As the saying goes, one bad apple spoils the whole damn bunch. —Rebecca Jordan
Rebecca Jordan Examples of bad apple in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some reformers, from a broad spectrum of political leanings, saw Pérez Molina and his ilk as bad apples that had to be thrown out in order to save the political system.
—Kirsten Weld, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2015
Worst case scenario, his history in Pittsburgh is only the tip of the iceberg and everything Schottenheimer and his staff worked tirelessly to build this offseason will go down the drain with just one bad apple.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2025
Obviously, everybody has bad apples in every situation.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
That’s a rough position to be in for AI Pin users: sell for pennies on the dollar or be stuck with a bad apple.
—Dimitar 'mix' Mihov, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bad apple
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Kirsten Weld, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2015
Worst case scenario, his history in Pittsburgh is only the tip of the iceberg and everything Schottenheimer and his staff worked tirelessly to build this offseason will go down the drain with just one bad apple.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2025
Obviously, everybody has bad apples in every situation.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
That’s a rough position to be in for AI Pin users: sell for pennies on the dollar or be stuck with a bad apple.
—Dimitar 'mix' Mihov, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bad apple
Cite this Entry
“Bad apple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20apple. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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