as in staining
to make dirty
she dirtied her new sneakers when she splashed in the puddle
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Recent Examples of dirtying
Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.
—
Adam Roy, Outside, 28 Dec. 2025
Amazon shoppers are also going after this top-selling nonstick frying pan that’s great for eggs, chicken breasts, and other hard-to-flip foods, as well as this immersion blender that can churn soups and sauces into a creamy texture without dirtying another vessel.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Adam Roy, Outside, 28 Dec. 2025
Amazon shoppers are also going after this top-selling nonstick frying pan that’s great for eggs, chicken breasts, and other hard-to-flip foods, as well as this immersion blender that can churn soups and sauces into a creamy texture without dirtying another vessel.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dirtying
Verb
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Cooks who use the oven regularly should clean it once a month to prevent food and grease from building up and staining the oven.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Be very quick to wipe away any drips that run onto the wood cabinet surface to prevent staining.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
30 Jan. 2026
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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Each footstep sent up clouds of dust and ash, coating everything, including my mouth and teeth, in fine grit, blackening my snot and saliva.—
River Selby
August 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The effect demands a more active degree of introspection than the average documentary, and Marczak’s unwavering commitment to that endurance test approach has a powerful way of messing with viewer expectations.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
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In reality, your body is constantly regulating them on its own, and messing with that process can be problematic.—
Rachel Reiff Ellis,
SELF,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On TikTok, as The Washington Post has reported, some creators are making $5,000 a month using AI tools to write scripts and animate extremely dumb viral videos where old men talk about soiling themselves.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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Part of the art of airing dirty laundry lies in sullying oneself in the process.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Kelly believes a book like this hasn’t been written before because people weren’t ready to hear the truth – as though acknowledging these famous people’s complete life experiences would be besmirching their legacies.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
12 Jan. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Dirtying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dirtying. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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