bedaub

[ bih-dawb ]

/ bɪˈdɔb /

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See synonyms for bedaub on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to smear all over; besmear; soil.

to ornament gaudily or excessively.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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. 2023

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