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Definition of smear verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    smear

     verb
    verb
    NAmE//smɪr//
     
    Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they smear
     
    he / she / it smears
     
    past simple smeared
     
    -ing form smearing
     
     
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  1. 1[transitive] to spread an oily or soft substance over a surface in a rough or careless way synonym daub smear something on/over something The children had smeared mud on the walls. smear something with something The children had smeared the walls with mud. His face was smeared with blood. Thesaurusmark
    • stain
    • fingerprint
    • streak
    • speck
    • blot
    • smear
    • spot
    These are all words for a small area of dirt or another substance on a surface.
    • mark a small area of dirt or other substance on the surface of something, especially one that spoils its appearance:The kids left dirty marks all over the kitchen floor.
    • stain a dirty mark on something that is difficult to remove, especially one made by a liquid:blood stains
    • fingerprint a mark on a surface made by the pattern of lines on the end of a person's finger, often used by the police to identify criminals:Her fingerprints were all over the gun.
    • streak a long thin mark or line that is a different color from the surface it is on:She had streaks of gray in her hair.
    • speck a very small mark, spot, or piece of a substance on something:There isn't a speck of dust anywhere in the house.
    • blot a spot or dirty mark left on something by a substance such as ink being dropped on a surface:an ink blot
    • smear a mark made by something such as oil or paint being spread or rubbed on a surface:She had smears of paint on her dress.
    • spot a small dirty mark on something:He found grease spots all over the walls.
    Patterns
    • a streak/speck/blot/smear/spot of something
    • a greasy mark/stain/smear
    • a/an ink mark/stain/blot/spot
    • a/an grease mark/stain/spot
    • to leave a mark/stain/fingerprint/streak/speck/blot/smear
  2. 2[transitive] smear something to make something dirty or greasy His glasses were smeared. smeared windows
  3. 3[transitive] smear somebody/something to damage someone's reputation by saying unpleasant things about them that are not true synonym slander The story was an attempt to smear the party leader.
  4. 4[transitive, intransitive] smear (something) to rub writing, a drawing, etc. so that it is no longer clear; to become not clear in this way synonym smudge The last few words of the letter were smeared.
See smear in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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