bedaubing

verb

present participle of bedaub
as in smearing
to rub an oily or sticky substance over the toddler delightedly bedaubed herself with her mother's makeup

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedaubing
  1. smearing
  2. painting
  3. coating
Verb
  • At the entrance of Kollparay, Quispe pauses, taking my hands and smearing them with soil—the soil of her village.
    — Paola Miglio, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 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, 5 June 2026
Definition of smearing
Verb
  • Preservationists, architects and historians warn that painting the 19th century facade would trap moisture, accelerate deterioration and deface one of Washington’s most important historic structures.
    — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than painting an emotionally compelling future, uncharismatic leaders may emphasize plans, facts, processes, trade-offs and incremental improvements.
    — Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of painting
Verb
  • In May 2025, a huge mass of rock and ice from a glacier thundered down the mountainside in the nearby Loetschental valley, sending plumes of dust skyward and coating with mud nearly all of Blatten, which had been evacuated earlier as a precaution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • For use directly on the body, the team added a polydopamine coating to improve skin compatibility.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of coating
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

bedaubed
bedaubing
bedaubs
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Cite this Entry

“Bedaubing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedaubing. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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