bespatter

[ bih-spat-er ]
See synonyms for bespatter on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to soil by spattering; splash with water, dirt, etc.

  2. to slander or libel: a reputation bespattered by malicious gossip.

Origin of bespatter

1
First recorded in 1635–45; be- + spatter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bespatter in a sentence

  • Beneath the wagon, invisible at first, trotted a mud-bespattered yellow pup.

    The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
  • Instantly a shower of water bespattered Napoleon's face and clothing, and drenched the papers on the table.

    Napoleon's Young Neighbor | Helen Leah Reed
  • The ground beneath them was bespattered with narcissi and anemones, the very olive trees looked gay.

    The Making of a Saint | William Somerset Maugham
  • Windows crashed, portions of egg bespattered many, several persons were struck by missiles, and a great hubbub was created.

    Around Old Bethany | Robert Lee Berry
  • The cook, at a sign from Breckenridge, went down, and came back by and by with a man in bespattered blue uniform.

    The Cattle-Baron's Daughter | Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for bespatter

bespatter

/ (bɪˈspætə) /


verb(tr)
  1. to splash all over, as with dirty water

  2. to defile; slander; besmirch

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