stain
Americannoun
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stains
plural
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a discoloration produced by foreign matter having penetrated into or chemically reacted with a material; a spot not easily removed.
- Synonyms:
- blot, imperfection, mark
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a natural spot or patch of color different from that of the basic color, as on the body of an animal.
-
a cause of reproach; stigma; blemish.
a stain on one's reputation.
- Synonyms:
- taint, blot, imperfection, mark
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coloration produced by a dye that penetrates a substance, as wood.
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a dye made into a solution for coloring woods, textiles, etc.
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a reagent or dye used in treating a specimen for microscopic examination.
verb (used with object)
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stains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stained,
past participle, past
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staining
present participle
-
to discolor with spots or streaks of foreign matter.
-
to bring reproach or dishonor upon; blemish.
-
to sully with guilt or infamy; corrupt.
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to color or dye (wood, cloth, etc.) by any of various processes that change or react with the substance chemically.
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to color with something that penetrates the substance.
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to treat (a microscopic specimen) with some reagent or dye in order to color the whole or parts and so give distinctness, contrast of tissues, etc.
verb (used without object)
-
stains,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stained,
past participle, past
-
staining
present participle
-
to produce a stain.
-
to become stained; take a stain.
This fabric stains easily.
verb
-
to mark or discolour with patches of something that dirties
the dress was stained with coffee
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to dye with a penetrating dyestuff or pigment
-
to bring disgrace or shame on
to stain someone's honour
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to colour (specimens) for microscopic study by treatment with a dye or similar reagent
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(intr) to produce indelible marks or discoloration
does ink stain?
noun
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a spot, mark, or discoloration
-
a moral taint; blemish or slur
-
a dye or similar reagent, used to colour specimens for microscopic study
-
a solution or liquid used to penetrate the surface of a material, esp wood, and impart a rich colour without covering up the surface or grain
-
any dye that is made into a solution and used to colour textiles and hides
Usage
What else does stain mean? In general, a stain is something that leaves a mark. In youth slang, a stain is a "worthless person." In Black American slang, stain is a gang culture expression for "armed robbery."
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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destainernoun
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nonstainernoun
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stainabilitynoun
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stainablenessnoun
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stainernoun
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understainnoun
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restainverb
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understainverb (used with object)
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nonstainableadjective
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nonstainingadjective
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stainableadjective
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well-stainedadjective
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stainablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stainsimple
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stainssimple
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have stainedperfect
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has stainedperfect
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am stainingprogressive
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are stainingprogressive
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is stainingprogressive
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have been stainingperfect progressive
-
has been stainingperfect progressive
Past
-
stainedsimple
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had stainedperfect
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was stainingprogressive
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were stainingprogressive
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had been stainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stain
1350–1400; Middle English steynen < Old Norse steina to paint; in some senses aphetic form of distain
Explanation
A stain is a mark or discoloration, and to stain something is to mark it with dirt or color it, either deliberately or accidentally. If you stain your sister's favorite sweatshirt, she might be mad at you—especially if you didn't ask before borrowing it. You can stain your favorite white pants when you're eating strawberries, or stain the table top you're making by painting it with a tinted liquid. The resulting stain in both cases is visible. Another kind of stain is a figurative mark or blemish, like the stain on your school records from that difficult semester when you never did your homework. Stain comes, via the Middle English disteynen, or "discolor," from the Latin tingere, "to color or dye."
Vocabulary lists containing stain
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.
See Examples For:
"This is an indelible stain on the country of Norway" he said, adding "we will not forget".
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
However, independent human rights experts have rejected the government's conclusion, and the unsolved case remains a stain on Mexico's reputation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
“East of the River” washes away the stain of criminalization that local media used to cheapen Ever’s life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
It is more unusual to see an outbreak like this linked to one specific stain of the bacterium affecting many people at one time.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Jay stood in the doorway, a slight sweat stain ringing the neck and underarms of his shirt.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
He also said then that the "appalling atrocity of slavery" stains Britain's history.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Sam Blom-Cooper, a barrister for Brown, told the court his client denied the allegations and was intent on going in front of a jury to clear the "stains of these appalling allegations."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The end of the Great Depression was just 25 years in our rearview mirror, but the stains were still easily seen throughout rural Kentucky.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
Wallace said she also found red stains on the mats, a nearby rowing machine and a Tesla charging plug.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
She sat on a stone bench supported by two crouching lions, their faces streaked with dark stains like tears.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
This town is known for two things: the original medieval stained glass windows in its ancient church and a world-beating air show hosted every year with the latest in military technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
On the table in front of us is a fleece work jacket, covered in dog hair, along with a large, stained teddy bear and a single, dirty, grey slipper.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
But “those stained glass windows are the wife.”
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
But the tournament will also be remembered for a classless and churlish Argentina, which forever stained itself with a thuggish performance in the game and an ungracious one afterward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
He reached across the table and poured a black substance he claimed was coffee from a stained old enamel pot and smiled, a flash of incredibly white dentures in the old, brown leather face.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
She said Greenpeace had painted over rocks and soil, staining them.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
It doesn’t come on a school-issued bun, nor does it come with the staining might of tomato sauce and ground beef.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
No doubt she tried in some cases, staining the Justice Department in the process.
From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2026
This makes it more resilient to differences between hospitals, microscopes, and staining techniques, while also improving its ability to detect rare or abnormal cells.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2026
The rest of the time they crowded into crevices that were easily found by the streaks of dried urine staining the rocks.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
