review bomb

plural review bombs

1. InternetA deluge of negative user reviews.

   The phenomenon of Review Bomb can be seen as a particular case of spam attack where users publish, in a short time span, fake or misleading reviews on specific products, brands or services, with the aim of discrediting or promoting these.

   2022, Oscar Bernardes, Vanessa Amorim, António Carrizo Moreira, editors, Handbook of Research on Cross-Disciplinary Uses of Gamification in Organizations, IGI Global, →ISBN, page 340

present singular third person review bombs · participle present review bombing · participle past review bombed · past review bombed

1. InternetTo give something a deluge of negative user reviews.

   Lincoln Michel, the author of the sci-fi novel “The Body Scout,” said he fears his books might get review bombed if he tangles with people online.

   2023 June 26, Alexandra Alter, Elizabeth A. Harris, “How Review-Bombing Can Tank a Book Before It’s Published”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   1 more example

   For one well-known example, the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters was massively review bombed before the film had even been released, with a good part of the downvoting coming from men who objected to the remake's all-female cast.

   2021, Donald A. Barclay, chapter 4, in Disinformation: The Nature of Facts and Lies in the Post-truth Era, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 110