Synonyms

bedaub

American

[bih-dawb] / bɪˈdɔb /

verb (used with object)

to smear all over; besmear; soil.
to ornament gaudily or excessively.

bedaub British

/ bɪˈdɔːb /

verb

to smear all over with something thick, sticky, or dirty
to ornament in a gaudy or vulgar fashion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unbedaubed

adjective

Etymology

Origin of bedaub

First recorded in 1545–55; be- + daub

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.

Bedaub, be-dawb′, v.t. to daub over or smear with any dirty matter.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Bedaub them, and the mass of the monikins, too, with just as much filth as you please.

From The Monikins by Cooper, James Fenimore

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023