1
as in stains
to make dirty
a tablecloth daubed with too many spills to ignore any longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smears
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
he begins his nightly transformation into a circus clown by daubing greasepaint on his face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daubs
Verb
-
What Sacks doesn’t get is that by financing and diplomatically supporting Israel, our country makes the crimes of the Israeli government possible, which stains America’s reputation in the world and drains our Treasury.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026 -
Every failure of the state now stains the turban as well as the uniform.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
-
In this, all assemblies and elements are assembled in the design position – exactly as in the drawings, down to one thousandth of a millimeter.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
-
Children mailed their drawings.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
As the salmon blackens in a skillet, the spices awaken, encrusting the fish in peppery piquant.—
The Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The second scenario paints a more concerning picture.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
-
But, the sentiment on social media, particularly from Rebels fans, paints a different, less rosy picture.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The design ethos translates to a warren of nook-and-cranny sitting rooms decorated in sage and slate, ox-blood leather, curiosities and ancestral portraits.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
The first room, the Studio, is a recreation of the photographer’s famous atelier on Rue Paul Fort in Paris, known as Studio Luce, where fashion pictures, still-life imagery, portraits coexist as a kaleidoscopic trip inside Roversi’s oeuvre and intimate workspace.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Cleaning dirt and smudges off window glass helps sunlight penetrate into your home and will boost the amount of light that’s available to your houseplants.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Dim sunlight smudges skies for only a few hours in the depth of winter.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Continue cooking and tossing until the tomato and fat merge to create a beautiful, glossy sauce that coats the pasta, about 30 seconds more.—
Karla Walsh,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
Ngo coats the nail with a matte primer, which creates a smooth base, before buffing eye shadow across the surface with a nail sponge.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
27 Apr. 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
“Daubs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daubs. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
