as in to stain
to make dirty
inconsiderately besmirched the carpet with their dirty feet
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Recent Examples of besmirch
This cynicism inevitably besmirches players, coaches, and referees who have no ties to gambling.
—
Danny Funt, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
Famously, the British press conspired to draw the dramatist’s name through the mud, besmirching his literary legacy for generations to follow.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Trump has focused on tourist-friendly areas being besmirched by crime.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 11 Aug. 2025
These hardy souls, largely indifferent to political and economic turbulence, were the mainstay of the tourist economy during the civil war that besmirched the lives of an entire generation from the 1980s on.
—Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for besmirch
Danny Funt, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
Famously, the British press conspired to draw the dramatist’s name through the mud, besmirching his literary legacy for generations to follow.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Trump has focused on tourist-friendly areas being besmirched by crime.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 11 Aug. 2025
These hardy souls, largely indifferent to political and economic turbulence, were the mainstay of the tourist economy during the civil war that besmirched the lives of an entire generation from the 1980s on.
—Chandrahas Choudhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for besmirch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besmirch
Verb
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Wearing kitchen gloves to keep your hands from staining, knead 7 oz.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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In testing on human teeth that were artificially stained with tea and coffee, the researchers found that a total of four hours of brushing showed visible whitening, while 12 total hours of brushing led to teeth that were nearly 50% whiter than those in a control group.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday morning, fire department trucks were tearing down the affected side of the building, which was entirely blackened and hollowed out from the flames.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
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There's no better tool for making biscuits, cornbread, or blackened chicken than a cast-iron skillet.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The adventurous actress dirties up her frock and face to play the village pariah, who reeks of fish and would be no man’s idea of a suitable wife, except perhaps the one-eyed bum who sleeps in the town square.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
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When stormwater dirtied by road runoff, failing septic tanks and fertilizer sullied crystal-clear rivers and lakes, and nobody cared.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The publicity emails sent from Amazon regarding the movie have no individual names or email addresses attached, as though no one wanted their career or personal brand sullied by association.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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The scale of the fraud in Minnesota dwarfs the roughly $100 million welfare scandal that rocked Mississippi from 2016 to 2019, embroiling former NFL quarterback Brett Favre in a civil lawsuit and sullying the state’s reputation for oversight.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besmirch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besmirch. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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