as in smears
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
the toddler delightedly bedaubed herself with her mother's makeup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bedaubs
Verb
-
This chilling, starkly beautiful ambient piece draws Nebraska’s marginal whispers to the forefront and smears them across the picture plane.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026 -
The five pieces offer, in turn, biomorphic hints of de Kooning, the ragged shapes of Clyfford Still, the bold geometries of Ellsworth Kelly, the paint smears of Gerhard Richter, and something that looks like toothpaste squeezed onto an orange peel.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Then there’s the gorgeous pink dust that lightly coats each chip.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
3 June 2026
-
The palate showcases roasted agave, lemon peel, white pepper, and spices, all riding on a firm, oily texture that coats the mouth.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
But new video obtained by B’Tselem and shared with CNN paints a different picture.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
The album features 13 songs on a split tracklist, styled after a vinyl or cassette tape, that paints a chronological narrative about the dismantling of a romantic relationship.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Bedaubs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bedaubs. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
