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Definition of smear noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

smear

noun
 
/smɪə(r)/
 
/smɪr/
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  1. an oily or dirty mark
    • a smear of jam
    Synonyms markmarkstain ▪ fingerprint ▪ streak ▪ speck ▪ blot ▪ smear ▪ spotThese are all words for a small area of dirt or another substance on a surface.mark a small area of dirt, a spot or a cut on a surface that makes it look less good:
    • 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 colour from the surface it is on:
    • She had streaks of grey 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 or paint being dropped on a surfacesmear a mark made by something such as oil or paint being spread or rubbed on a surfacespot a small dirty mark on something:
    • There were grease spots all over the walls.
    Patterns
    • a streak/​speck/​blot/​smear/​spot of something
    • a greasy mark/​stain/​smear
    • an ink mark/​stain/​blot/​spot
    • a grease mark/​stain/​spot
    • to leave a mark/​stain/​fingerprint/​streak/​speck/​blot/​smear
    Extra Examples
    • Here is a spray window cleaner that won't leave any smears.
    • There was a smear of paint on his cheek.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • greasy
    verb + smear
    • leave
    preposition
    • smear of
    See full entry
  2. a story that is not true about somebody that is intended to damage their reputation, especially in politics
    • He was the victim of a smear campaign.
    Extra Examples
    • The article cast a smear on the Minister for Health.
    • The prime minister has called for an end to smears and personal attacks in the run-up to the election.
    • a smear job on the president
    • campaign smears against the candidate
    • her opponents' smear machine
    Topics Politicsc2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • political
    • Democratic
    • Republican
    • …
    smear + noun
    • campaign
    • tactic
    • job
    • …
    preposition
    • smear against
    • smear on
    See full entry
  3. (also smear test, cervical smear)
     (all British English)
    (North American English Pap smear)
    a medical test in which a very small amount of tissue from a woman’s cervix is removed and examined for cancer cells see also cervical smear, Pap smear
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • cervical
    • Pap
    • negative
    • …
    verbs
    • get
    • have
    See full entry
    4. Word OriginOld English smierwan (verb), smeoru ‘ointment, grease’, of Germanic origin; related to German schmieren (verb), Schmer (noun).
See smear in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: smear

Nearby words

croak
verb
 
 
From the Topic
Animals
C2
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