verb
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to make dirty; soil
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to reduce the brightness or lustre of
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to sully (often in the phrase besmirch ( a person's ) name )
Other Word Forms
- besmircher noun
- unbesmirched adjective
Etymology
Origin of besmirch
Explanation
To besmirch means to dirty or tarnish, particularly someone's reputation — like when you call Billy a cheater at kickball (even though you know he's just better at bunting than you). Besmirch may sound kind of funny, but it goes hand in hand with other hurtful words like defame and slander. It can also mean to literally stain something. So that time you tracked mud all over the new white carpet and then blamed it on your little brother? That was a double besmirching — dirtying the rug and then falsely accusing a sibling.
Vocabulary lists containing besmirch
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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All About That Baseless: Bad-Faith Accusations
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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.
Steele doesn’t besmirch the data that punishes his Redhawks, but he also says “there’s something to winning.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
Mr Yusuf said that he had never met Gill, and all he knew of him was what he had read in the newspapers, saying his actions should not "besmirch" Reform UK.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025
Citing this isn’t meant to besmirch Lear’s legacy but, rather, to highlight his flaws as a part of his evolution.
From Salon • Dec. 7, 2023
It’s still theirs and not yours to besmirch.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 7, 2023
"Not bloody likely. The Long Summer will come again before that one would besmirch his precious honor."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
