Showing results for smudging. Search instead for besmudging.

smudging

British

/ ˈsmʌdʒɪŋ /

noun

a traditional Native American method of using smoke from burning herbs to purify a space

"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

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.

The two women move around the room, burning herbs and shaking shamanic rattles while singing and chanting in a purification ritual known as "smudging".

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2025

Harrell’s proposal preserves the basic framework of the urban village strategy, while at the same time renaming them, smudging their boundaries and targeting additional areas for development.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2024

If you want to continue smudging not all hope is lost.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2024

Researchers believe these early artists selected charcoal because it was the perfect medium, ideal for the smudging and blending techniques used in cave paintings.

From Scientific American • Jul. 4, 2023

Then she smiled and brushed Sefia’s cheek, smudging her with dirt.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023