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)
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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
-
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:
Platner being able choose his successor would stain that successor with Platner’s problems for the rest of the campaign!
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
"It is a stain on our history. Mothers, many young, vulnerable and without support were coerced, bullied or misled into feeling that they had no choice but to have their children taken away from them."
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
"It is a stain on the conscience of humanity," added Callamard, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, and for the urgent deployment of an international force to protect civilians.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
During Reconstruction, first-wave feminists agitated for the 14th Amendment to not just remedy the stain of slavery, but to eliminate inequality in all its forms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The wick had long since burned away, and all that remained of the oil was a faint greyish stain.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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
Resting in the sports hall in Villamanta, Margarita, 70, pointed to the stains on her T-shirt -- the same one she had been wearing for four days.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 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
The prosecution had told this trial that there were blood stains on the trousers, blood on the jacket and an anorak that had discharge residue.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The book had a cloth cover with several dark stains, and the paper was thick and creamy, soft at the edges.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
His paintings, which look like a mashup of collage and stained glass, are immediate in their impact: Planes of saturated hues snap together in portraits, pictures of parties, and everyday scenes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Eric especially admired the Witch’s House in Beverly Hills, the Shakespeare Bridge in Franklin Hills and the stained glass windows in Carthay Circle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
George Mallory is remembered with a stained glass window at St Wilfred's Church in Mobberley.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Property damage looks like stained carpeting, unusual paint colors or damaged appliances.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
Aimlessly, he picked up a thin, stained envelope from the table next to his chair.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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
She strolls in without makeup, fresh red hair dye staining her scalp, three glittering studs on her teeth that she flashes while talking as though she’s not being recorded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
To overcome this obstacle, the researchers designed a patent-pending staining approach that attaches traceable silver and bromine markers to widely used cellulose- and latex-based binders in graphite- and silicon-based anodes.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2026
One of the other things they should care about, according to Harriet, the cleaning lady who came once a week and who was about a million years old, was staining the bathtub.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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.
