bespatter

American

[bih-spat-er] / bɪˈspæt ər /

verb (used with object)

to soil by spattering; splash with water, dirt, etc.
to slander or libel.

a reputation bespattered by malicious gossip.

bespatter British

/ bɪˈspætə /

verb

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

Etymology

Origin of bespatter

First recorded in 1635–45; be- + spatter

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.

I know they are pleased to bespatter me at all their little dirty levees.

From Goldsmith English Men of Letters Series by Black, William

And thus I have with much ado rid my hands of a great part of De Cros’s Rubbish, as far as it endeavours to bespatter Sir W. T. in his Morals and Intellectuals.

From Reflections upon Two Pamphlets Lately Published One called, A Letter from Monsieur de Cros, concerning the Memoirs of Christendom, And the Other, An Answer to that Letter. by Anonymous

Far be it from me, however, to bespatter his character by avowing him negligent in performing his duty in this case, whilst lauding him for his honest devotion to his masters.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 94, August, 1865 by Various

I saw her, the other day, bespatter the Governor himself with water, at the cattle-trough in Spring Lane.

From The Scarlet Letter by Foote, Mary Hallock

For the future you may besnuff and bespatter your coat as much as you please, for all the trouble I shall ever take.

From The King of Schnorrers Grotesques and Fantasies by Zangwill, Israel

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