smears 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of smear
1
as in paints
to rub an oily or sticky substance over the toddler gleefully smeared her hair and face with maple syrup

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2
as in libels
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

smears

2 of 2

noun

plural of smear
1
as in slanders

Related Words
2
as in stains

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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 smears
Verb
Darker smears around the crater’s rim contain surface rocks and lunar dust called regolith previously altered by solar winds, micrometeorites, and cosmic radiation over an extended period of time. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2026 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 In other words, the show is a celebration of America’s 250th birthday, but one that smears a little cake on the country’s face. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 June 2026 This chilling, starkly beautiful ambient piece draws Nebraska’s marginal whispers to the forefront and smears them across the picture plane. — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026 The five pieces offer, in turn, biomorphic hints of de Kooning, the ragged shapes of Clyfford Still, the bold geometries of Ellsworth Kelly, the paint smears of Gerhard Richter, and something that looks like toothpaste squeezed onto an orange peel. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025 Teachers Union leader Randi Weingarten smears Trump voters as fascists! — The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smears
  1. paints
  2. insinuations
  3. stains
  4. coats
  5. aspersions
  6. smudges
  7. anoints
  8. blots
Verb
  • The six-episode thriller paints an eerie image of small-town life in Newfoundland, and viewers are intrigued by the mystique of the striking Canadian backdrop.
    — Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Filmmaker and activist Omer Shamir paints a moving documentary portrait of this family, in their exile home, across one year.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of paints
Noun
  • The insinuations of business hucksterism are one thing that could provoke him, more intimate details are another.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Coverage of the story dovetailed with a hail of memes and insinuations online that Crockett is a zealot or a pretend cowboy out of his depth.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of insinuations
Noun
  • Patinkin cautions that long-wearing lipsticks and stains may dry too quickly to blend, while oily balms may not stay put on skin.
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Patinkin cautions that long-wearing lipsticks and stains may dry too quickly to blend as blush, while oily balms may have less staying power on skin.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of stains
Verb
  • The rich, silky formula coats the lips with collagen-boosting peptides, Brazilian acai butter, and African mongongo butter to plump and lock in moisture, while lactic acid and hibiscus flower enzymes buff away dry, flaky texture.
    — Tasha Nicole Smith, Allure, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Also, if one coats the surface of a daguerreotype with a layer of gold, the colors shift more to the red side of the spectrum.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of coats
Noun
  • Its projections also don’t cast any aspersions on when a fiscal crisis—if any—might occur, though members of Congress might ask.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The Tigers’ middling performance against Troy and sloppy play in spurts has cast some aspersions on their aspirations.
    — PJ Green September 22, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of aspersions
Noun
  • These tiny mismatches leave smudges of starlight that can hide a faint planet in the image, meaning that the telescope’s ability to see smaller planets is limited by its overall stability.
    — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Instead of bright or pure white finishes, creamy tones are more forgiving against scuffs, fingerprints, smudges, and everyday kitchen messes.
    — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of smudges
Verb
  • God prepares a table for the speaker despite the presence of his enemies, anoints his head with oil, and fills his cup to overflowing.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Analysis from data and tactics writer Conor O’Neill Every World Cup anoints a breakout star, a previously unheralded player who is catapulted into the spotlight.
    — David Ornstein, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of anoints
Noun
  • Dabbing the cloth in rubbing alcohol, working away the dirty blots on the glass, waiting for the haze in my head to focus, and a new line to come to me.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
  • One of the few blots on last summer’s Leeds copybook.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 26 May 2026
Definition of blots

Browse Nearby Words

smearing
smears
smell
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Cite this Entry

“Smears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smears. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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