1
as in to paint
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
the toddler gleefully smeared her hair and face with maple syrup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to libel
to make untrue and harmful statements about
he is willing to smear his opponent if doing so would win the election
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in slander
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of smear
Kristen Baldwin September 2, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The smear campaign is in full force.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Unless someone else as ghoulish as Aunt Gladys comes along between now and Halloween, get ready for a sea of adults wearing costumes punctuated by bright orange wigs, lips smeared haphazardly with lipstick and enormous eyeglasses.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smear
Verb
Entertainment Weekly caught up with the lovebirds to talk about those pre-proposal talks, their reaction to Sean and Allyshia's smear campaign against Kat, and more.
—Kristen Baldwin September 2, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The smear campaign is in full force.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
Plastic faded the blonde color of butter with age and the lettering smeared away, big thumbprint smearing a lilac hollow through the violet plastic of the power button.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Unless someone else as ghoulish as Aunt Gladys comes along between now and Halloween, get ready for a sea of adults wearing costumes punctuated by bright orange wigs, lips smeared haphazardly with lipstick and enormous eyeglasses.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smear
Verb
-
Always willing to suffer for the cause, Silverman was sentenced to eight days in the clink for refusing to pay a small fine levied after he was caught illegally painting a cycle lane on a residential street.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Instead of listening, her mother-in-law dismissed every point and painted herself as a victim.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
-
As a new, inexpensive Chevrolet appeared in 1927 and The Dearborn Independent was sued for libeling a number of Jewish businessmen, Ford threw in the towel and apologized.—
George Pendle,
airmail.news,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Knox was later convicted of slander against Lumumba.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
23 Aug. 2025
-
She was later convicted of slander and received a three-year sentence.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Still, sometimes the heat is impossible to ignore — evident in the small sweat stains on Dinkel’s blue collared shirt.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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For example, stainless steel sinks are fairly cheap, durable, easy to clean and resistant to stains and rust.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Applicators infiltrated cities across the nation, coating the chemical on street trees, parks and front lawns.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Honey and olive oil are a match made in heaven to coat roasted salmon or dress green and grain salads.—
Jess Cording,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
About two hours later, the US Air Force dropped military flares in the sky, with rumors stating this was an attempt to cover up and discredit the UFO incident that occurred earlier in the evening.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Eventually, however, Lowell’s ideas were discredited—Schiaparelli, once an ally, renounced them—and the world moved on.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There’s has been a lot of innuendo; talk of wrong directions and disharmony.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
2 Sep. 2025
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But the situation isn’t without innuendo — and a little drama — from Castellanos, who cloaks very little when asked a question from the media.—
Anthony Stitt,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Then came the first image, a bright, blurry smudge.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Even our unimpressive ancestors, which appear as tiny flukelike fossil smudges in the rocks, and which bear the first tentative hints of a backbone, make a cameo here.—
Peter Brannen
August 28,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smear. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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