smear

noun

\ ˈsmir

Definition of smear

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a viscous or sticky substance

b : a spot made by or as if by an unctuous or adhesive substance

2 : material smeared on a surface (as of a microscopic slide) also : a preparation made by smearing material on a surface a vaginal smear

3 : a usually unsubstantiated charge or accusation against a person or organization —often used attributively a smear campaigna smear job

smear

verb

smeared; smearing; smears

Definition of smear (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to overspread with something unctuous, viscous, or adhesive : daub smeared the paper with glue

b : to spread over a surface

2a : to stain, smudge, or dirty by or as if by smearing

b : sully, besmirch specifically : to vilify especially by secretly and maliciously spreading grave charges and imputations

3 : to obliterate, obscure, blur, blend, wipe out, or defeat by or as if by smearing

Other Words from smear Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about smear

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for smear

Synonyms: Verb

anoint, bedaub, besmear, daub

Examples of smear in a Sentence

Noun

The blood smear revealed malaria.

Verb

The children smeared the window with fingerprints. She smeared jam on her toast. Butter was smeared all over the counter. Her mascara smeared when she cried.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Subsequently, that smear was identified to be blood. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "An expert’s testimony about a bloody towel helped win murder convictions. But it wasn’t blood.," 18 June 2019 This street art style smears color over classic white paired next to the pansexual flag. — Allure, "15 Nail Art Ideas to Wear During Pride — and They’re Not Just Rainbows," 6 June 2019 For most of us, using face oils should be pretty straightforward: Step one, smear on face. — Glamour, "Best Face Oil for Every Skin Type and How to Use Them," 16 May 2019 Down by Münster’s harbor, this organic dairy produces creatively flavoured Gouda and red smear cheeses using four-generation-old processes. — Christie Dietz, National Geographic, "Calling all foodies: Germany's 'white gold' season is in full swing," 14 May 2019 And then — and then as no doubt was expected — if not planned — came a long series of false last-minute smears designed to scare me and drive me out of the process before any hearing occurred. — Alvin Chang, Vox, "Every time Ford and Kavanaugh answered the question — and didn't answer the question," 28 Sep. 2018 And then -- and then as no doubt was expected -- if not planned -- came a long series of false last-minute smears designed to scare me and drive me out of the process before any hearing occurred. — Fox News, "Brett Kavanaugh's full opening testimony," 27 Sep. 2018 Three contains sliced turkey, crisp bacon, tomato, iceberg with its watery crunch, a lush, fatty smear of mayonnaise. — Devra First, BostonGlobe.com, "Why the club sandwich may just be the perfect American food," 11 June 2018 And now Democrats scrambling with their 11th hour smears against Brett Kavanaugh. — Fox News, "Woman who knew Kavanaugh in high school speaks out," 14 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But FMTs smear the rules used for regulating standard drugs, which tend to have highly controlled, identifiable active ingredients that can be carefully quantified, formulated, standardized, and tested. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "One dead after poop transplant gone wrong, FDA warns," 14 June 2019 Richard Jones crouched in the snow outside a Chicago apartment building, blood smeared across his face. — Elyssa Cherney, chicagotribune.com, "A former state ward is accused of killing a mental health worker in Chicago. Staff tried to raise safety concerns before his death.," 12 June 2019 The early weeks have smeared in memory: a steady flow of friends and relatives, an endless chain of diapering and feeding. — Anndee Hochman, https://www.inquirer.com, "The Parent Trip: Latisha ‘Tish’ Johnson of Mt. Airy," 5 June 2019 The bags were smeared with grease to ward off drug-sniffing dogs, and workers poured 2 inches of oil to the bottom of the train car to deter U.S. inspectors from stepping inside. — Nicole Hong, WSJ, "What El Chapo’s Trial Revealed: The Inner Workings of a $14 Billion Drug Empire," 12 Feb. 2019 On this day, priests and pastors smear ashes from the previous year's Palm Sunday palms on the attendees' foreheads. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Here's How the Date of Easter Is Determined Each Year," 22 Feb. 2019 And of course the Centre Deli, with the orange signs and the Italian subs smeared, yes, with mayo. — Kara Baskin, BostonGlobe.com, "The best Italian sub around, with mayo and memories," 18 June 2018 Some ways to speed up a hickey's healing is to smear toothpaste on it, brush the bruised area or apply some ice directly to the bruised skin. — Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "Do Hickeys Hurt?," 3 May 2019 Then, cut a small hole in one side of a soda can, run the wire through it, and smear peanut butter on the can. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "How to Get Rid of Mice: The Ultimate Guide to a Rodent-Free Home," 28 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about smear

Dictionary Entries near smear

Statistics for smear

Last Updated

23 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for smear

The first known use of smear was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for smear

smear

noun

English Language Learners Definition of smear

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a dirty mark, spot, streak, etc., made by touching or rubbing something

medical : a very small sample of something (such as skin or blood) that someone examines with a microscope

: an untrue story about a person that is meant to hurt that person's reputation

smear

verb

English Language Learners Definition of smear (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make (something) dirty by rubbing it with something else

: to spread (something) over a surface

: to spread or drip in an untidy way

See the full definition for smear in the English Language Learners Dictionary

smear

verb

\ ˈsmir

smeared; smearing

Kids Definition of smear

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to spread or soil with something oily or sticky So Bean carefully smeared white all over Ivy's face except her lips.— Annie Barrows, Ivy {ampersand} Bean

2 : to spread over a surface Her makeup smeared.

3 : to harm the reputation of (someone) with false statements

smear

noun

Kids Definition of smear (Entry 2 of 2)

: a spot or streak made by or as if by an oily or sticky substance : smudge

smear

noun

\ ˈsmi(ə)r

Medical Definition of smear

(Entry 1 of 2)

: material spread on a surface (as of a microscopic slide) also : a preparation made by spreading material on a surface — see pap smear, vaginal smear