bespatter

[bih-spat-er]

See more synonyms for bespatter on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to soil by spattering; splash with water, dirt, etc.
to slander or libel: a reputation bespattered by malicious gossip.

Origin of bespatter

First recorded in 1635–45; be- + spatter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bespatter

sully, revile, tarnish, smear, taint, denigrate, insult, disparage, misrepresent, vilify, besmirch, daub, smudge, speckle, mottle, drench, bathe, sprinkle, slosh, soak

Examples from the Web for bespatter

Historical Examples of bespatter

This is the nameless refuse which flings itself to bespatter Masonry.
Devil-Worship in France
Arthur Edward Waite
He expects Sir George should not bespatter him privately, in revenge, but openly.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete
Samuel Pepys
The green appearance is due to lichens which bespatter them.
The Heart of the White Mountains, Their Legend and Scenery
Samuel Adams Drake
He may bespatter you with ink, he may hit you in the eye, but he writes a magnificent hand.
Roderick Hudson
Henry James
I know they are pleased to bespatter me at all their little dirty levees.
Goldsmith
William Black

British Dictionary definitions for bespatter

bespatter

verb (tr)

to splash all over, as with dirty water
to defile; slander; besmirch

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

Word Origin and History for bespatter

1640s, from be- + spatter (v.). Related: Bespattered; bespattering.