as in to smear
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of anoint
No one inherits leadership, there's no one anointed the leader.
—
Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
At least one competitor is already anointing Stolz, a seven-time world champ who’s just 21— and only halfway through the Olympic program in Milan—the best ever.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 14 Feb. 2026
The John Harbaugh era came to an end, and Ravens brass has anointed former Harbaugh disciple Jesse Minter as the man to lead Baltimore back to Super Bowl glory.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Laws, churches, and IKEA were all anointed.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anoint
Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
At least one competitor is already anointing Stolz, a seven-time world champ who’s just 21— and only halfway through the Olympic program in Milan—the best ever.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 14 Feb. 2026
The John Harbaugh era came to an end, and Ravens brass has anointed former Harbaugh disciple Jesse Minter as the man to lead Baltimore back to Super Bowl glory.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Laws, churches, and IKEA were all anointed.
—Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anoint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anoint
Verb
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The pigment lasts all day without smearing.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
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There was plenty of cheek-kissing, and probably a little air-kissing too — nobody wants to smear lipstick in that crowd.—
Merle Ginsberg,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The current and former officials, some of whom asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters during an active conflict, paint a portrait of an understaffed government workforce struggling to execute the president's agenda.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
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Years in the making At the center of the prosecution is a sweeping federal indictment that paints a stark picture of Venezuela’s upper echelons of power, alleging that for more than two decades the country’s leadership turned the machinery of the state into a vehicle for narcotics trafficking.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Add the flour and stir to coat.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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Everything—from the squat, one-story structure to the station wagon parked outside—had been coated in the same uneven layer of white paint, as if someone had tried, hurriedly, to erase it from the landscape.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anoint. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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