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.

“Gray raindrops pattered listlessly on the kitchen window, obscuring the thin morning light” as Honor Wilson is found smearing “a dot of margarine across some toast.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Ramos said the audio was about smearing his work, adding "no Mexican authority took responsibility for that audio."

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

But when he discovers a beehive, he shares the honey with his fellow prisoners by smearing it over his body.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

Writing for the London Evening Standard one TV critic accused Big Brother's top executive Peter Bazalgette of "smearing excrement over our screens".

From BBC • Jul. 25, 2025

And then Mona was smearing an ointment over the cut, and she pressed a cloth against it.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo