English Explanatory Dictionary

one bad apple can spoil the barrel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

proverb
  1. One bad person or element can have a harmful influence on many others.

Word forms

one bad apple can spoil the barrel

Etymology

From the observation that rot of a single fruit can spread to many fruit nearby.

Synonyms

one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch

Related words

bad apple bad egg rotten apple if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas rotten to the core the fish rots from the head
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