1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

besmear

verb

bi-ˈsmir How to pronounce besmear (audio)
Definition of besmearnext
as in to smear
to rub an oily or sticky substance over besmeared the napkin with jelly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besmear
  1. smear
  2. paint
Verb
  • One prank involved Quan, Capshaw, and Harrison Ford surprising Spielberg with ice cream smeared all over their faces for one take.
    — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Yet what follows is an extended list of ethical sins, with a focus on the sins of abusive speech, such as slandering, slurring, slighting and smearing the reputations of others.
    — Reuven Kimelman, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of smear
Verb
  • Use speakers or headsets where possible, enable airplane mode whenever the phone isn’t in use, or, at the very least, consider where cell phones are positioned while scrolling Pinterest for tips on how to paint the nursery.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The two remaining bottles were left unlabeled, though one would later be painted by the Irish artist Michael Dillon.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of paint
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

besieging
besmear
besmeared
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Besmear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besmear. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of slew

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All