How to Use smear in a Sentence

smear

1 of 2 noun

• The blood smear revealed malaria.
• Her mouth and the side of her face were a smear of blood.
  — Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 May 2021
• Queens in the gloaming, the sky a smear of pinks and purples.
  — Dan Piepenbring, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2020
• Note the sunspots and cloudy smears in the lower half of the window at right.
  — Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2023
• They’re served on the half shell in a smear of garlic aioli.
  — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 6 June 2023
• The events themselves—the words, the acts, the intent—are a blur, a frantic smear.
  — Sam Lipsyte, The New Yorker, 28 June 2021
• The assault left a creamy white smear on the glass, but the Mona Lisa was not damaged.
  — Chron, 2 June 2022
• The patch should be flush with the tile surface and confined to just the screw holes; don’t leave smears across the tile.
  — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023
• The smear had been debunked years ago—including in the pages of the New York Times.
  — James Freeman, WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022
• What's the difference between a HPV test and a pap smear?
  — Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 4 July 2022
• The assault left a white smear on the glass, but the painting itself was not damaged.
  — Bradford Betz, Fox News, 3 June 2022
• These are best with a generous smear of ricotta on the base of the toast.
  — Magdalena O'Neal, Sunset Magazine, 28 Jan. 2022
• There are fork marks and a smear on the plate that show just how delightfully creamy the texture of the cake is.
  — Bon Appétit, 2 July 2021
• The rounds of seaweed are crisp and curved, cradling a smear of mashed avocado and a heap of caviar.
  — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2024
• Top the dough with a generous smear of Whataburger sauce.
  — Rebecca White, Dallas News, 16 June 2021
• Cities a hundred miles from the flames were filled with smoke so thick that the sun turned into a faint orange smear.
  — Kiliii Yüyan, History & Culture, 17 Dec. 2020
• But our hands were stained with the red ink from grading pens, not the brown smear of tobacco plants.
  — Beth Thames, al, 14 Dec. 2022
• The bread gets a smear of kajmak, an ultra-creamy fresh cheese.
  — Nick Kindelsperger, chicagotribune.com, 21 Sep. 2021
• Enjoy this bread warm from the oven with a thick smear of Irish butter or a hunk of sharp Irish Cheddar.
  — Beth Dooley Special To The Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 10 Mar. 2021
• English muffins are just as tasty with a simple smear of butter, jam, and a pinch of flaky salt.
  — Sara Tane, Good Housekeeping, 15 Mar. 2021
• Jess focused her camera phone on the matte smears of blood that could have been mistaken for rust on the top of the trunk and along the sides of the car.
  — Hazlitt, 7 June 2023
• Nobody on the team went on record with this charge, but Zappe Fever had a lot of Pats fans buying the smear and wanting to see more Zappe.
  — Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Oct. 2022
• Apart from a lime green smear across its back, its skin, muscle and other tissues are see-through.
  — Veronique Greenwood, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2022
• Make a big batch of these to take center stage on your dinner table on the first night of Hanukkah, and serve them atop of a smear of crème fraîche and herbs.
  — Magdalena O'Neal, Sunset Magazine, 6 Dec. 2022
• The best way to describe it is that it’s like a smear in the middle of my eye affecting my vision on my left side.
  — Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 21 Mar. 2022
• At the same time, other charges and smears have warped the public narrative, obscuring the threats to the First Amendment.
  — Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Feb. 2023
• Routine Pap smears are life-saving.
  — Essence, 27 Jan. 2026
• There was a chicken-wing smear on my tuxedo—at my own wedding.
  — Matt Moore, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
• Pap smears must be a strong contender for the worst best thing to happen to gynecology.
  — Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 8 Jan. 2026
• After the draft, the smear campaign appeared to be on — although two speeding tickets probably did not help his case.
  — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 28 Dec. 2025

smear

2 of 2 verb

• Butter was smeared all over the counter.
• She smeared jam on her toast.
• Her mascara smeared when she cried.
• The children smeared the window with fingerprints.
• At the time the notes handed over from the paramedics were smeared with blood.
  — Mostafa Salem, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024
• Make sure to not smear the polish across more of the surface.
  — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 Nov. 2023
• Van Gogh then licks the outside of the bag, smearing the paint across the canvas.
  — Molly Enking, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2023
• Blood soaked the carpet and smeared the bathroom floor.
  — Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 7 Oct. 2023
• Case in point: The minivan has two new dents in it now, both in the front, both smeared with white paint.
  — Heather Havrilesky, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
• Brush or smear a bit of oil on cookie sheet with sides.
  — Rita Nader Heikenfeld, The Enquirer, 19 Nov. 2022
• Her black hair was in a short bob, her forehead smeared with blood.
  — Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2023
• The boys' room was able to be locked from the outside and inside while the walls were smeared with feces.
  — Michael Lee, Fox News, 19 July 2023
• Yet, too often, the story still smears a broad brush on the same bad guy, the rancher.
  — Ben Long, The Denver Post, 13 Feb. 2024
• His right arm was bandaged, his left hand smeared with blood.
  — Cate Brown, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023
• Once again, her red lip color did not smear, let alone budge.
  — Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024
• Both halves are smeared with a layer of butter thicker than the sole on a Doc Marten.
  — Lucas Kwan Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023
• Step 2To form dumplings, smear 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling in the center of a wrapper.
  — People Staff, PEOPLE.com, 2 Aug. 2022
• Once the focaccia is sliced and smeared with aioli, the fennel and arugula mix is added.
  — Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 7 Mar. 2024
• The exterior is smudged, the wheels brown, the components smeared with years of soot.
  — David Waldstein, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
• For a summertime s'mores milkshake, use a knife to smear marshmallow fluff around the rim of the glass.
  — Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Aug. 2022
• Use a swizzle stick or your finger to place the drops, then smear them gently and wait for the liquid to dry.
  — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023
• As the video went on, Halo smeared the cake over her face and the floor, adorably bouncing up and down and smiling for the camera.
  — Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 20 Dec. 2023
• Their clothes are smeared with mud, symbolizing the earthy, devotional spirit of the journey.
  — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
• Elliot has a bloody nose, a mouth smeared with lipstick and is wearing a frilly pink bra and pants.
  — Damon Wise, Deadline, 23 Jan. 2026
• Poussin, smeared with garlic, sumac and red pepper paste, was unappealingly mealy.
  — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
• Cofounder says he was smeared after quitting.
  — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
• This will lead to smearing dust particles around instead of picking them up, which is where a wet cloth comes into play.
  — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2026
• León was clothed, his garments smeared with Rivera’s blood.
  — Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
• The bread is fluffy, with pesto smeared throughout the inside and outside and melted cheese on top.
  — Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026
• For something on the side, smear the pesto on crusty bread or use it as a dip with fresh vegetables.
  — Jenavieve Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Jan. 2026