smear
verb (used with object)
to spread or daub (an oily, greasy, viscous, or wet substance) on or over something.
smearing
-
present participleof smear.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Exiled Tibetans and advocacy groups have accused China of heavily underreporting the death toll from devastating flooding in border regions with Nepal, claims Beijing rejected as "malicious smearing and sensationalism".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Gray raindrops pattered listlessly on the kitchen window, obscuring the thin morning light” as Honor Wilson is found smearing “a dot of margarine across some toast.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Years later, on the New York punk music circuit, she switched to eyeliner, because she loved getting sweaty and smearing the black streaks down her face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
His ill-fated attempt to unmask a whistleblower he thought was smearing an old colleague, was seen by some – but not all – as evidence of fierce loyalty to his own troops.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2025
He prowled about by Mrs. Coulter’s sleeping bag, scratching with a little horny finger at the occasional glowflies that settled in the cave and smearing their luminescence over the rock.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
