encrusts

verb

variants also incrusts
present tense third-person singular of encrust
as in smears
to cover with a hardened layer refrigerator shelves that were encrusted with the residue of many spills

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of encrusts These crustaceans, worms, fish, and others keep their home clean by grazing on the algae that encrusts seagrass leaves. — David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encrusts
  1. smears
  2. coats
  3. cakes
  4. covers
Verb
  • The atmosphere works on them a little bit harder and reduces their strength and smears them a little bit more.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Offshore dollar savings and onshore settlement demand are diverging, and the supply chart smears the two together.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of smears
Verb
  • Add the fresh corn, okra, and diced tomatoes, cooking until the tomatoes break down into a sauce that coats the tender vegetables.
    — Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The Mediterranean sun, at its apex, burns as white as the signature paint that coats most Mykonian homes.
    — Nick Remsen, Vogue, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of coats
Verb
  • The kids aren’t going to remember that mom made the birthday cakes herself.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2026
Definition of cakes
Verb
  • One issue, Denker said, is the 220-plus manhole covers on the race circuit that had to be welded to ensure the race cars don't suck them off the road.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Jelly and the other goats were focused on the Japanese Knotweed, an invasive species, that covers the hillside.
    — Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of covers

Browse Nearby Words

encrusting
encrusts
encrypt
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Encrusts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encrusts. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on encrusts

Nglish: Translation of encrusts for Spanish Speakers

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