smear
Americanverb (used with object)
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smears,
present (3rd person singular)
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smeared,
past participle, past
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smearing
present participle
-
to spread or daub (an oily, greasy, viscous, or wet substance) on or over something.
to smear butter on bread.
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to spread or daub an oily, greasy, viscous, or wet substance on.
to smear bread with butter.
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to stain, spot, or make dirty with something oily, greasy, viscous, or wet.
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to sully, vilify, or soil (a reputation, good name, etc.).
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to smudge or blur, as by rubbing.
The signature was smeared.
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Slang. to defeat decisively; overwhelm.
They smeared the home team.
noun
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smears
plural
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an oily, greasy, viscous, or wet substance, especially a dab of such a substance.
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a stain, spot, or mark made by such a substance.
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a smudge.
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something smeared or to be smeared on a thing, as a glaze for pottery.
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a small quantity of something spread thinly on a slide for microscopic examination.
-
vilification.
a smear by a cheap gossip columnist.
verb
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to bedaub or cover with oil, grease, etc
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to rub over or apply thickly
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to rub so as to produce a smudge
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to slander
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slang to defeat completely
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(intr) to be or become smeared or dirtied
noun
-
a dirty mark or smudge
-
-
a slanderous attack
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( as modifier )
smear tactics
-
-
a preparation of blood, secretions, etc, smeared onto a glass slide for examination under a microscope
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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smearsimple
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smearssimple
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have smearedperfect
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has smearedperfect
-
am smearingprogressive
-
are smearingprogressive
-
is smearingprogressive
-
have been smearingperfect progressive
-
has been smearingperfect progressive
Past
-
smearedsimple
-
had smearedperfect
-
was smearingprogressive
-
were smearingprogressive
-
had been smearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of smear
before 900; (v.) Middle English smeren, smirien to rub with fat, anoint, Old English smirian, smerian, smerwan; cognate with Dutch smeren, German schmieren, Old Norse smyrja, smyrwa; (noun) in current senses derivative of the v.; compare obsolete smear fat, grease, ointment, Middle English smere, Old English smeoru, cognate with Dutch smear, German Schmer, Old Norse smjǫr grease, Greek smýris rubbing powder; see emery
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing smear
"Skins" and "Nicole"
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Old Yeller
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"The Ugly One," Vocabulary from Chapters 1-5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A group of former Cornell students, who belonged to the same Chi Phi fraternity as the seven accused but graduated before the alleged incident, also complained of online smear campaigns.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Beijing's foreign ministry said while it was not aware of the specifics of his case, "we have always opposed any slander and smear directed at China".
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Fifa hit back and accused Uefa of a "smear campaign against it and its leadership" in a challenge to the litigation.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
The school’s hiring was the primary subject of the faculty smear campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
He did take the time to smear the mud on the upper part of the trail while his sister waited by the bridge.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
Researchers gently rub the parchment with a dry cytology brush, the same type of brush used for Pap smears.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
She tears into a warm baguette, smears it with chèvre and hands him a piece.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
Ingerson posted on social media that there had been a "two-year long campaign of bullying, lies, rumours and smears designed to stop my candidacy".
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
HPV tests and Pap smears are critical tools to diagnose patients who might have an infection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
Jenna’s eyes are heavy with eyeliner, dark smears that don’t match her baby-pink tights.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
We ate thick slices with cold salted butter — not so much smeared across the crumb as laid on in pale slabs, because patience has never been a prerequisite for breakfast.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
The next morning, she woke up to a "horrible realisation", feeling itchy with red lumps over her body and blood spots smeared on the bedding — the tell-tale signs of bed bugs, she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Lean and wet and smeared with grass, he introduces himself as Lincoln Hedberg from New Jersey.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
One group inflated a giant disco ball, while another smeared themselves with body paint next to a line of rehearsing dancers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
After supper one night I took a bottle of our best dishwashing liquid to the upstairs bathroom, closed the door, and smeared a thin layer of the stuff all over my face.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
She added West was also smearing her make-up on her face "in a way that just felt wrong".
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Ramos said the audio was about smearing his work, adding "no Mexican authority took responsibility for that audio."
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
Mullin did not apologize for his remarks and instead accused Paul of smearing his character.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
He held a press conference outside his law office a few blocks away as rain fell, smearing reporters’ notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
“She keeps thinking they’re going to bloom soon,” I said, smearing the compost back onto the grass.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
