# rotten apple

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/rotten-apple
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A bad person, especially one who has a corrupting influence on others.

## Examples

- One rotten apple can spoil the whole group.
- The manager fired the employee because he was a rotten apple who encouraged others to stop working hard.
- The committee feared that a single rotten apple within their ranks might compromise the integrity of the entire organization.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.