as in defamation
the making of false statements that damage another's reputation
this smearing has got to stop, or the voters will conclude that there's absolutely no one worth voting for
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in coating
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
the toddler gleefully smeared her hair and face with maple syrup
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in libeling
to make untrue and harmful statements about
he is willing to smear his opponent if doing so would win the election
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smearing
Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
Whereas the initial narrowband signal might have a strong power across just a few frequencies, the smearing spreads that power across more frequencies, reducing the strength of the signal.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Black inks for the same printers tend to have less obvious smearing than the color ink, and many smear just enough to see a smudge, without harming readability.
—PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025
If the smearing continues, look for a position elsewhere.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 5 June 2026
While being held at the Independence Police Department’s detention unit, Ashley allegedly damaged the inside of a cell by smearing feces and blood on the walls and floor.
—Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026
In 2012, the gossip site Gawker, infamous for smearing conservative activists, published embarrassing footage of Hogan that had been secretly recorded and had no legitimate news value.
—George Harris, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
The pigment lasts all day without smearing.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2026
Mullin did not apologize for his remarks and instead accused Paul of smearing his character.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Micron has come a long way since its humble founding nearly half a century ago in the basement of a Boise dental office, where sedative gas wafted through the floorboards and an early executive used a hair dryer to keep the company’s logo from smearing off its chips.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 11 Mar. 2026
Anderson has countersued and accused Burkle of smearing his reputation amid a separate business dispute.
—Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
When smearing peanut butter on bread, the robot watches the knife deflect down and crush the bread and judges forces from that.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
So far, several celebrities have been tied to the smearing.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
Whereas the initial narrowband signal might have a strong power across just a few frequencies, the smearing spreads that power across more frequencies, reducing the strength of the signal.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 8 Mar. 2026
Black inks for the same printers tend to have less obvious smearing than the color ink, and many smear just enough to see a smudge, without harming readability.
—PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025
If the smearing continues, look for a position elsewhere.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
This will lead to smearing dust particles around instead of picking them up, which is where a wet cloth comes into play.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 5 June 2026
While being held at the Independence Police Department’s detention unit, Ashley allegedly damaged the inside of a cell by smearing feces and blood on the walls and floor.
—Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026
In 2012, the gossip site Gawker, infamous for smearing conservative activists, published embarrassing footage of Hogan that had been secretly recorded and had no legitimate news value.
—George Harris, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
The pigment lasts all day without smearing.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2026
Mullin did not apologize for his remarks and instead accused Paul of smearing his character.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Micron has come a long way since its humble founding nearly half a century ago in the basement of a Boise dental office, where sedative gas wafted through the floorboards and an early executive used a hair dryer to keep the company’s logo from smearing off its chips.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 11 Mar. 2026
Anderson has countersued and accused Burkle of smearing his reputation amid a separate business dispute.
—Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
When smearing peanut butter on bread, the robot watches the knife deflect down and crush the bread and judges forces from that.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smearing
Noun
-
In June last year, Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and the couple's publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as Baldoni's defamation suit against the Times, was dismissed by Liman.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
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Marie Theodat filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court in September 2025 against more than a dozen defendants, alleging claims of discrimination, defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Thick colonies are already coating boats, piers and pipelines.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Standing before it, Khalaf saw how the wall of the adjacent building had toppled onto the ground floor, flooding the shop with rubble and coating everything with a film of fine gray dust.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Shocking lies Within hours, the administration was slandering her.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
17 Jan. 2026
-
And then the media was slandering our dad’s name and reputation after a lifetime of being a fairly wholesome guy.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Baldoni, who denied the allegations, filed a gargantuan defamation suit for $400 million against Lively and her camp, as well as a $250 million libel suit against The New York Times’ coverage of the claims.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2026
-
Sabellico sued him for libel, arguing those comments were malicious and defamatory.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Much credit is still due to Tony Seltzer; thanks to the quality of its original, the producers Purity (Flips) are painting with a huge palette of colors.—
Benny Sun,
Pitchfork,
17 June 2026
-
Her husband, who works in a factory painting industrial trucks, would be penalized for such a move, imperiling future raises.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Underneath it, the authors of the flyer listed a few dubious talking points maligning immigrants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Angel went for a respectful middle-of-the-road jab — complimenting her parenting and resilience, but maligning her for being petty.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But there is a distinction, Kutwala said, between flying flags from one’s own property and daubing paint across the town.—
Olivia Kemp,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Why are adults so comfortable publicly disgracing Black teenage girls going to their prom and being cruel toward strangers who are sometimes half their age?—
Essence,
Essence,
11 May 2026
-
The plotting becomes needlessly complicated at times, such as with Jack becoming a local hero after foiling a burglary, and later disgracing himself with a drunken tirade at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which leads to him being arrested and put on trial.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smearing. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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