smear

/smɪər/

/smɪə/

Other forms: smeared; smears; smearing

To smear something is to smudge or blur it. You might literally smear your pen-and-ink drawing, or figuratively have your reputation smeared by getting caught in a lie.

You can also smear things physically by smoothing them onto another surface, like when you smear lip balm on your mouth or smear cream cheese on your bagel. When you smear a person, however, you cause them real harm by hurting their reputation badly. A politician might smear an opponent by falsely claiming they lied about where they went to college, for example. That kind of smear can be hard to erase.

Definitions of smear

1. verb

   make a smudge on; soil by smudging
   synonyms: blur, smudge, smutch

   types:

   resmudge

   smudge again

   dust

   rub the dust over a surface so as to blur the outlines of a shape

   type of:

   rub

   move over something with pressure
2. verb

   cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it
   “smear the wall with paint”

   synonyms: daub

   daub

   apply to a surface

   types:

   blood

   smear with blood, as in a hunting initiation rite, where the face of a person is smeared with the blood of the kill

   type of:

   cover

   provide with a covering or cause to be covered
3. verb

   stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance
   types:

   moil

   moisten or soil

   besmirch, smirch

   smear so as to make dirty or stained

   type of:

   begrime, bemire, colly, dirty, grime, soil

   make soiled, filthy, or dirty
4. verb

   charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
   synonyms: asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, denigrate, slander, smirch, sully

   types:

   assassinate

   destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation

   libel

   print slanderous statements against

   badmouth, drag through the mud, malign, traduce

   speak unfavorably about

   type of:

   accuse, charge

   blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against
5. noun

   a blemish made by dirt
   synonyms: blot, daub, slur, smirch, smudge, spot

   types:

   blotch, splodge, splotch

   an irregularly shaped spot

   fingermark, fingerprint

   a smudge made by a (dirty) finger

   inkblot

   a blot made with ink

   type of:

   blemish, defect, mar

   a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body)
6. noun

   a thin tissue or blood sample spread on a glass slide and stained for cytologic examination and diagnosis under a microscope
   synonyms: cytologic smear, cytosmear

   types:

   alimentary tract smear

   any of several cytologic smears obtained from different parts of the alimentary tract; obtained by specialized lavage techniques and used mainly to diagnose cancer in those parts

   Pap smear, Papanicolaou smear, cervical smear

   a sample of secretions and superficial cells of the uterine cervix and uterus; examined with a microscope to detect any abnormal cells

   bronchoscopic smear, lower respiratory tract smear, sputum smear

   any of several cytologic smears obtained from different parts of the lower respiratory tract; used for cytologic study of cancer and other diseases of the lungs

   vaginal smear

   smear taken from the vaginal mucosa for cytological analysis

   esophageal smear

   alimentary tract smear of material obtained from the esophagus

   gastric smear

   alimentary tract smear of material obtained from the stomach

   oral smear

   alimentary tract smear of material obtained from the mouth

   duodenal smear, paraduodenal smear

   alimentary tract smear of material obtained from the duodenum

   type of:

   cytologic specimen

   a specimen used for cytologic examination and diagnosis
7. noun

   an act that brings discredit to the person who does it
   synonyms: blot, smirch, spot, stain

   type of:

   error, fault, mistake

   a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
8. noun

   slanderous defamation
   synonyms: malignment, vilification

   type of:

   calumniation, calumny, defamation, hatchet job, obloquy, traducement

   a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions