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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of smearing
PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025
If the smearing continues, look for a position elsewhere.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
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, 18 Jan. 2026
The vacuum cleaner has powerful suction, 8,000 Pa, and the mop cleans without sloshing and smearing water on the floor.
—Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 6 Jan. 2026
Despite the controversy, most Glamour staffers can recall smearing on play makeup or stealing mommy’s moisturizer.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 13 Nov. 2025
So actually, smearing their voices together and then doing other stuff in the computer made the perfect voice.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
The little brother is still contentedly working on his painting, dipping his brush into his pots and then smearing it across the paper.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
After smearing Tylenol, the president's unscripted remarks quickly veered into an incoherent rant linking vaccines to autism as well.
—ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Ciarlo has been a beauty aficionado from her early age of sneaking into her mother's makeup drawer and smearing Joker-esque lipstick on her face.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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 dedication centers Sophie and Benedict’s second meet-cute, when the two cross paths at a country house where Benedict is attending a party and where Sophie is now working, after being unable to find a position in London thanks to her stepmother smearing her reputation.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
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, 18 Jan. 2026
The vacuum cleaner has powerful suction, 8,000 Pa, and the mop cleans without sloshing and smearing water on the floor.
—Terri Williams, Architectural Digest, 6 Jan. 2026
Despite the controversy, most Glamour staffers can recall smearing on play makeup or stealing mommy’s moisturizer.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 13 Nov. 2025
So actually, smearing their voices together and then doing other stuff in the computer made the perfect voice.
—Adam B. Vary, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
The little brother is still contentedly working on his painting, dipping his brush into his pots and then smearing it across the paper.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
After smearing Tylenol, the president's unscripted remarks quickly veered into an incoherent rant linking vaccines to autism as well.
—ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Ciarlo has been a beauty aficionado from her early age of sneaking into her mother's makeup drawer and smearing Joker-esque lipstick on her face.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smearing
Noun
-
The Bhumjaithai party leader is staunch royalist who is firmly against any amendments to lese majeste, Thailand’s strict royal defamation law.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The landlord has filed a defamation lawsuit against the tenants.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Jefferson Lab is pioneering a more cost-effective approach by coating the interior of pure niobium cavities with tin.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Feb. 2026
-
The invention of coating the tip of a stick with sulfur first appeared in English markets in 1829.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Second-year associate Babcock won the appeal, a landmark ruling that established qualified First Amendment privilege for reporters in civil libel cases.—
Brad Townsend,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
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Kennedy's attorneys are claiming defamation both in the form of libel and slander, and are alleging civil conspiracy to make false accusations, along with assault, battery, and more.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Slok cited a slew of academic studies on AI and productivity, painting a contradictory picture about the utility of the technology.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
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In addition, Granite Construction Company will make improvements to adjacent taxiways, upgrading lighting and painting new striping and markings.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
Verb
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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
-
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
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Defense attorneys have also decried violations of fair-trial rights, saying that the prosecutor in the cases has sought to influence the jury pool by maligning those charged.—
LAUREN CARASIK,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Feb. 2017
Verb
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Few wardrobe moments are more stressful than staining your beloved cashmere sweater.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Nancy Guthrie had been missing less than three days when family members and reporters, and even an Amazon delivery worker, could be seen wandering onto her property, with drops of her blood still staining the front entryway.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smearing. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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