as in to stain
to make dirty
inconsiderately besmirched the carpet with their dirty feet
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Recent Examples of besmirch
With her buzz cut and Bikini Kill T-shirt, Brie Larson’s Elektra is presented as a rebel, a provocateur, and the kind of obsessively angry soul who might well carry her microphone around town in order to besmirch her mother and berate the world.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025
Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.
—Helen Iatrou, AFAR Media, 16 Dec. 2024
Completely besmirched by this new sham of a spot.
—Mike D. Sykes, For The Win, 11 Dec. 2024
The Confederate flag was carried through its premises, the flag of an old attack on this country and its (often jettisoned and besmirched but still significant) ideals of equality.
—Rebecca Solnit
january 9, Literary Hub, 9 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for besmirch
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025
Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.
—Helen Iatrou, AFAR Media, 16 Dec. 2024
Completely besmirched by this new sham of a spot.
—Mike D. Sykes, For The Win, 11 Dec. 2024
The Confederate flag was carried through its premises, the flag of an old attack on this country and its (often jettisoned and besmirched but still significant) ideals of equality.
—Rebecca Solnit
january 9, Literary Hub, 9 Jan. 2021
See All Example Sentences for besmirch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besmirch
Verb
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Wood filler is the best choice for repairing large, deep gouges, but usually requires staining.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
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Inside the retro-futuristic Discoveryland area of Disneyland Paris, a full-size Star Wars X-Wing fighter sits on a silver and blue platform which looks like it has been weathered and stained from battles.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
High-Heat-Safe Alternatives While enameled cast-iron cookware is excellent to use for braising, roasting, baking, or gentle stovetop cooking, certain high heat applications like searing steak or blackening fish are best done in other types of pans, like traditional cast iron or stainless steel.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
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Her boyfriend had hit her hard enough to blacken her eye.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As more success suddenly comes his way, McKinstry has remained the same, friendly and chuckling at his locker, dirtying his jersey and pestering opponents on the field.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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Some were prosthetic buttocks, but others were people’s own buttocks, but in various states, like dirtied down and with partial covering.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Verb
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The problem is, people were drinking a lot of bad ones, sullying their opinion of the drink.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
30 Aug. 2025
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For the most part, this is about strained resources, not sullied reputations.—
Emma Whitford,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Besmirch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besmirch. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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