bedaub

[ bih-dawb ]

/ bɪˈdɔb /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for bedaub on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to smear all over; besmear; soil.

to ornament gaudily or excessively.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bedaub

First recorded in 1545–55; be- + daub

OTHER WORDS FROM bedaub

un·be·daubed, adjective

Words nearby bedaub

bedabble, bed and board, bed-and-breakfast, bed and PEP, bedash, bedaub, Bedaux system, bedazzle, bed bath, bed-blocking, bed board

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bedaub in a sentence

Sacred trees and stones are painted red, and for the most solemn of their rites savages bedaub themselves with red clay.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3|Various
With this paste the natives delighted to bedaub their faces.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 2|Hubert Howe Bancroft
Whan a man's shoe is blackened and bedaub'd with industry, it will procure him such a supply as will make him cheerful.
The Proverbs of Scotland|Alexander Hislop
Against which he prepares to bedaub him, and swears he will do it from the beginning, from Jersey to this day.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys

Both Greeks and savages employ the bull-roarer, both bedaub the initiated with dirt or with white paint or chalk.
Custom and Myth|Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for bedaub

bedaub

/ (bɪˈdɔːb) /

verb (tr)

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

bedaub

Origin of bedaub

OTHER WORDS FROM bedaub

Words nearby bedaub

Words related to bedaub

How to use bedaub in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bedaub