as in staining
to make dirty
she accidentally smudged her collar with the lipstick
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Recent Examples of smudging
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
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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Wood filler is the best choice for repairing large, deep gouges, but usually requires staining.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
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Dental Hygiene Products Ingredients in some oral hygiene products can contribute to tooth staining.—
Ann Pietrangelo,
Verywell Health,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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 19 Sep. 2025.
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