stain
Americannoun
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stains
plural
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a discoloration produced by foreign matter having penetrated into or chemically reacted with a material; a spot not easily removed.
- Synonyms:
- blot, imperfection, mark
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a natural spot or patch of color different from that of the basic color, as on the body of an animal.
-
a cause of reproach; stigma; blemish.
a stain on one's reputation.
- Synonyms:
- taint, blot, imperfection, mark
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coloration produced by a dye that penetrates a substance, as wood.
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a dye made into a solution for coloring woods, textiles, etc.
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a reagent or dye used in treating a specimen for microscopic examination.
verb (used with object)
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stains,
present (3rd person singular)
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stained,
past participle, past
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staining
present participle
-
to discolor with spots or streaks of foreign matter.
-
to bring reproach or dishonor upon; blemish.
-
to sully with guilt or infamy; corrupt.
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to color or dye (wood, cloth, etc.) by any of various processes that change or react with the substance chemically.
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to color with something that penetrates the substance.
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to treat (a microscopic specimen) with some reagent or dye in order to color the whole or parts and so give distinctness, contrast of tissues, etc.
verb (used without object)
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stains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stained,
past participle, past
-
staining
present participle
-
to produce a stain.
-
to become stained; take a stain.
This fabric stains easily.
verb
-
to mark or discolour with patches of something that dirties
the dress was stained with coffee
-
to dye with a penetrating dyestuff or pigment
-
to bring disgrace or shame on
to stain someone's honour
-
to colour (specimens) for microscopic study by treatment with a dye or similar reagent
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(intr) to produce indelible marks or discoloration
does ink stain?
noun
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a spot, mark, or discoloration
-
a moral taint; blemish or slur
-
a dye or similar reagent, used to colour specimens for microscopic study
-
a solution or liquid used to penetrate the surface of a material, esp wood, and impart a rich colour without covering up the surface or grain
-
any dye that is made into a solution and used to colour textiles and hides
Usage
What else does stain mean? In general, a stain is something that leaves a mark. In youth slang, a stain is a "worthless person." In Black American slang, stain is a gang culture expression for "armed robbery."
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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destainernoun
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nonstainernoun
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stainabilitynoun
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stainablenessnoun
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stainernoun
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understainnoun
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restainverb
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understainverb (used with object)
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nonstainableadjective
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nonstainingadjective
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stainableadjective
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well-stainedadjective
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stainablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stainsimple
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stainssimple
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have stainedperfect
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has stainedperfect
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am stainingprogressive
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are stainingprogressive
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is stainingprogressive
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have been stainingperfect progressive
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has been stainingperfect progressive
Past
-
stainedsimple
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had stainedperfect
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was stainingprogressive
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were stainingprogressive
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had been stainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stain
1350–1400; Middle English steynen < Old Norse steina to paint; in some senses aphetic form of distain
Explanation
A stain is a mark or discoloration, and to stain something is to mark it with dirt or color it, either deliberately or accidentally. If you stain your sister's favorite sweatshirt, she might be mad at you—especially if you didn't ask before borrowing it. You can stain your favorite white pants when you're eating strawberries, or stain the table top you're making by painting it with a tinted liquid. The resulting stain in both cases is visible. Another kind of stain is a figurative mark or blemish, like the stain on your school records from that difficult semester when you never did your homework. Stain comes, via the Middle English disteynen, or "discolor," from the Latin tingere, "to color or dye."
Vocabulary lists containing stain
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:
Its accessible design also enables researchers to stain cells directly and observe them over long periods without the clogging problems that can occur in closed systems.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
“For me, Mamdani sitting in City Hall as the mayor is a stain on the spirit of New York,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Joe Kent, who served as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center from 2025 to 2026, called it “a stain on our morality.”
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Human rights groups denounced this as a stain on the moral conscience of America.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
“There was a soda stain on the sleeve.”
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Scientists have traditionally addressed this problem by adding stains to create greater contrast.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
“A case like this stains the whole industry and that’s the problem,” Shulman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
He also said then that the "appalling atrocity of slavery" stains Britain's history.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Xu's video is artificially brightly coloured - common in microscopy and permitted in the contest - which is usually done manually using stains and dyes on the sample itself.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Suddenly his elbow, knocking against the inkpot, upset it, and the chair and the desk and the quill pen and his own best clothes were covered with great spreading stains of blue ink.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
“I don’t mind stained leather — it only adds to their character.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Sweet carefully transfers the delicate tissue onto a glass slide, where selected cellular structures are stained to make them easier to distinguish under a powerful microscope.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
They vowed not to go back after the orange substance stained Misty for weeks, but the four-year-old dog, who had always been an "really healthy dog", soon became sick.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
This town is known for two things: the original medieval stained glass windows in its ancient church and a world-beating air show hosted every year with the latest in military technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Her cheeks are stained with tears and her eyes are bloodshot.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
She said Greenpeace had painted over rocks and soil, staining them.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
It doesn’t come on a school-issued bun, nor does it come with the staining might of tomato sauce and ground beef.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
No doubt she tried in some cases, staining the Justice Department in the process.
From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2026
Her burned bureau and the black soot staining the wall reignited her past trauma.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
It was like a liquid spilling and staining something it mustn't.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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