smear
UK /smɪə(ɹ)/ · US /smiɚ/ verb, noun
Forms smears smearing smeared
- verb (transitive) To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing. “The artist smeared paint over the canvas in broad strokes.”
- verb (transitive) To cover (a surface with a layer of some substance) by rubbing. “She smeared her lips with lipstick.”
- verb (transitive) To make something dirty.
- verb (transitive) (of a substance, etc.) To make a surface dirty by covering it.
- verb (transitive, derogatory) To damage someone's reputation by slandering, misrepresenting, or otherwise making false accusations about them, their statements, or their actions. “The opposition party attempted to smear the candidate by spreading incorrect and unverifiable rumors about their personal behavior.”
- verb (transitive) To cause (something) to be messy or not clear by rubbing and spreading it.
- verb (intransitive) To become messy or not clear by being spread. “The paint is still wet — don't touch it or it will smear.”
- verb (transitive) To write or draw (something) by spreading a substance on a surface.
- noun A mark made by smearing. “This detergent cleans windows without leaving smears.”
- noun (cooking) A presentation of a sauce, purée or other food item, which is placed in a dollop and spread across the plate.
- noun (countable, uncountable) A false or unsupported, malicious statement intended to injure a person's reputation. “smear campaign”
- noun (biology) A preparation to be examined under a microscope, made by spreading a thin layer of a substance (such as blood, bacterial culture) on a slide.
- noun (medicine) A Pap smear (screening test for cervical cancer). “I'm going to the doctor's this afternoon for a smear.”
- noun (radio, television, uncountable) Any of various forms of distortion that make a signal harder to see or hear.
- noun (climbing) A maneuver in which a shoe is placed onto a holdless rock, and the friction from the shoe keeps it in contact with the rock.
- noun (music) A rough glissando in jazz music.
Synonyms
apply daub plaster spread bedaub coat cover layer besmirch dirty soil sully assoil beclart bedirty imbrue (especially with blood) bedizen befile befilth befoul vilification malignment cytologic smear cytosmear smudge spot blot smirch slur stain
Etymology
From Middle English smeren, smerien, from Old English smerian, smyrian, smierwan (“to anoint or rub with grease, oil, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *smirwijan, from Proto-Germanic *smirwijaną. Doublet of schmear.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian smeere, Dutch smeren (“to smear, lubricate”), Low German smeren, German schmieren (“to smear, lubricate”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål smøre (“to lubricate”), Norwegian Nynorsk smørja (“to lubricate”), Swedish smörja (“to grease”), Faroese and Icelandic smyrja.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To overspread with anything unctuous, viscous, or adhesive; to daub; as, to smear anything with oil. "Smear the sleepy grooms with blood." Shak.
- verb To soil in any way; to contaminate; to pollute; to stain morally; as, to be smeared with infamy. Shak.
- noun A fat, oily substance; oinment. Johnson.
- noun Hence, a spot made by, or as by, an unctuous or adhesive substance; a blot or blotch; a daub; a stain.
Etymology [OE. smeren, smerien, AS. smierwan, smyrwan, fr. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D. smeren, OHG. smirwen, G. schmieren, Icel. smyrja to anoint. See Smear, n.]
Etymology [OE. smere,. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D. smeer, G. schmeer, OHG. smero, Icel. smjör, Sw. & Dan. smör butter, Goth. smaír fatness, smarna dung; cf. Lith. smarsas fat. Cf. Smirch.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “smear”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details