as in staining
to make dirty
she accidentally smudged her collar with the lipstick
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Recent Examples of smudging
The water-resistant formula resists smudging and transferring under the eyes, without the impossible-to-remove downside of a waterproof mascara.
—
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Always set your glasses face up on surfaces to avoid scratching or smudging the lenses.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025
An extra help is lip pencil, which can be useful to outline the contour of the mouth and avoid smudging.
—Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2025
Morelo recounted hateful reactions to his art, including people smudging out and scribbling over his spots.
—Max Bacall , Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Rather than smudging black shadow under her eyes, Carpenter drew a precise line in her waterline and added a baby wing on the outer corners of her lids.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
Picture a world dominated by paper forms—carbon copies smudging under the relentless pressure of scribbled notes—a world where dispatching felt more like a chaotic game of telephone than a streamlined operation.
—Karpagam Narayanan, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Always set your glasses face up on surfaces to avoid scratching or smudging the lenses.
—Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025
An extra help is lip pencil, which can be useful to outline the contour of the mouth and avoid smudging.
—Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2025
Morelo recounted hateful reactions to his art, including people smudging out and scribbling over his spots.
—Max Bacall , Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Rather than smudging black shadow under her eyes, Carpenter drew a precise line in her waterline and added a baby wing on the outer corners of her lids.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
Picture a world dominated by paper forms—carbon copies smudging under the relentless pressure of scribbled notes—a world where dispatching felt more like a chaotic game of telephone than a streamlined operation.
—Karpagam Narayanan, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smudging
Verb
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Foods like tomato sauce and chocolate can cause staining if they aren't wiped up right away.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
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It’s made with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, and it can even be paired with your favorite lip balm or gloss — without staining the applicator — for an extra boost of moisture.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
High-Heat-Safe Alternatives While enameled cast-iron cookware is excellent to use for braising, roasting, baking, or gentle stovetop cooking, certain high heat applications like searing steak or blackening fish are best done in other types of pans, like traditional cast iron or stainless steel.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
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Each footstep sent up clouds of dust and ash, coating everything, including my mouth and teeth, in fine grit, blackening my snot and saliva.—
River Selby
August 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The last two seasons have proven that the team starts off slow, which ends up messing their chances of making the playoffs.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smudging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smudging. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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