as in to stain
to make dirty
she accidentally smudged her collar with the lipstick
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stain
a mark of guilt or disgrace
the president's spouse must not have the slightest smudge of scandal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smudge
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Or, show your burning desire with Byredo’s Burning Rose Candle and a refillable lipstick set (which will be lovingly smudged by the end of the night).
—Essence, 30 Jan. 2026
Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
No streaks, no smudges, no stress.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smudge
Verb
Valentinetti was tasked with smudging out his work, which has left a ghost-like white blob on the angel’s body.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Or, show your burning desire with Byredo’s Burning Rose Candle and a refillable lipstick set (which will be lovingly smudged by the end of the night).
—Essence, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
Splatters, fingerprints, and smudges are a common struggle everyone faces with reading glasses, sunglasses, and blue-light glasses.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2026
No streaks, no smudges, no stress.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smudge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smudge
Verb
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It’s been dried, stripped of bark, sanded to silky smoothness, stained, sealed and painstakingly carved.—
Kathy Gurchiek,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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While standard cast iron typically requires seasoning to both preserve and maintain its quality and help prevent food from sticking, this cast iron is equipped with a black matte satin interior enamel coating that’s made to resist cracking, chipping, and staining.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Iran, a war targeting regime change and the destruction of its nuclear capacities — laudable goals — also has the suspicious taint of being all about oil.—
Markos Kounalakis,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
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The taint of being part of the cheating 2017 Astros has worn off over the years, and Cubs fans are banging the drum for Bregman’s arrival, excited to have an offensive upgrade from Matt Shaw, who can still learn a lot from playing multiple positions and watching from the bench.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But as filming continued, Pidgeon appeared to dirty her butter blond with caramel and chocolate shades similar to Bessette-Kennedy’s, thanks to stylist Kari Hill.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
25 Feb. 2026
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With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But the blot on Sacramento State’s basketball resume is the road record.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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The left-back has started 123 of the last 125 games and 86 of the last 87, with the blot on his card arriving late last season when manager Oliver Glasner rested key players after Palace won the FA Cup.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Sepulveda Basin has seen numerous brush fires in recent years, with the most being the Burbank fire in August 2024, which blackened 75 acres of almost entirely invasive, nonnative plants.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
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Contrast ratio is defined as the brightness difference between the brightest white tones and the darkest blacks, so this implies that the Studio Display XDR can turn off (fully blacken) the pixels within dimming zones.—
Tony Hoffman,
PC Magazine,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smudge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smudge. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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