tarnish

verb

tar·nish | \ˈtär-nish

tarnished; tarnishing; tarnishes

Definition of tarnish

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to dull or destroy the luster of by or as if by air, dust, or dirt : soil, stain

2a : to detract from the good quality of : vitiate his fine dreams now slightly tarnished

b : to bring disgrace on : sully the scandal has tarnished his reputation

intransitive verb

: to become tarnished

tarnish

noun

Definition of tarnish (Entry 2 of 2)

: something that tarnishes especially : a film of chemically altered material on the surface of a metal (such as silver)

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Examples of tarnish in a Sentence

Verb

Some foods will tarnish silver. The scandal tarnished his reputation.

Noun

a polish that removes tarnish

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Republican brand is tarnished in Michigan and Ohio over some state-specific scandals. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "Democrats suddenly look strong again in the Midwest," 25 Oct. 2018 Only half of the painting, which was sold for the absurd final price of $1.4 million, was tarnished, but the damage should have been far greater. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Here's a Look Inside Banksy's $1.4 Million Paper Shredder," 18 Oct. 2018 The students claimed their reputations were tarnished following the film’s release, but lost their bid for a court order to cut their scene from the movie. — Kathleen Joyce, Fox News, "Sacha Baron Cohen's controversies: From 'Borat' lawsuits to box office flops," 7 Aug. 2018 Polls are beginning to show that the special counsel's reputation is tarnished. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, "Polar opposites Trump and Mueller barrel toward a showdown," 30 May 2018 But milk’s wholesome image has been tarnished by diet trends and divergent attitudes about nutrition. — Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Dairy farmers tell their story at West Allis Farmers Market," 16 June 2018 Prior to his April 2018 conviction, the image of the eight-season sitcom, which aired from 1984-92, was tarnished as a result of Cosby. — Natalie Stone, PEOPLE.com, "Roseanne, 7th Heaven and The Cosby Show: All the TV Shows Pulled Because of Their Stars' Scandals," 30 May 2018 The near miss seems to have unfairly tarnished Rodgers' reputation as a top manager, and many fans are quick to mock the Northern Irishman for his failure that season. — SI.com, "Brendan Rodgers Responds to Claims He Managed 'the Luis Suarez Team' Back in 2013/14," 25 Mar. 2018 One objective for Scott is to avoid being tarnished by President Donald Trump, who is seen by many Puerto Ricans as having an indifferent response to the hurricane. — Anthony Man, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Poll of Puerto Ricans in Florida has good news for Dems — and for Gov. Scott," 30 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Rub the mixture on your copper item in circular motions and repeat until the entire surface is tarnish-free. — Lauren Smith, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean Copper and Make It Shine Like New Again," 4 May 2018 The Swedish Academy won’t name a Nobel laureate in literature this year, depriving the book industry of one of its main annual promotional events, and acknowledging the tarnish on the highest honor in letters. — Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, WSJ, "Swedish Academy Won’t Award Nobel Prize in Literature This Year," 4 May 2018 For heavier tarnish, mix three parts baking soda to one part water. Wet the silver and apply the cleaner with a soft, lint-free cloth. — Lauren Smith, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean Every Type of Jewelry," 9 Mar. 2018 But the flood of bad news has put a serious tarnish on the brand just as key competitors like Hyundai, Volkswagen, General Motors and others start bringing their own long-range models to market. — NBC News, "Tesla recalls almost half the cars it ever built, as shares tank and Musk's billions shrink," 30 Mar. 2018 Each ornament features a three-dimensional design with a tarnish-resistant silver finish. — Ann Norman, cleveland.com, "Lolly the Trolley returns to Medina Candlelight Walk Nov. 17-19," 3 Nov. 2017 Though this is the first time that a defamation suit has centered on a claim of changing gender, past courts have been forced to determine whether being deemed gay tarnishes a reputation. — Kenzie Bryant, vanityfair.com, "Richard Simmons’s Loss Could Be Transgender Rights’ Gain," 31 Aug. 2017 With this nifty trick, a chemical reaction causes tarnish to transfer from your silver flatware to the aluminum foil. — Lauren Piro, Good Housekeeping, "11 Who-Knew Uses for Aluminum Foil," 28 July 2017 In the midst of all this, the pedigreed Falkeses try to resist the tarnish of the Wolinskis. — Caroline Leavitt, New York Times, "Fathers and Sons — and Maybe Two More Sons," 23 June 2017

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