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
-
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
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to dye with a penetrating dyestuff or pigment
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to bring disgrace or shame on
to stain someone's honour
-
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
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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:
Its accessible design also enables researchers to stain cells directly and observe them over long periods without the clogging problems that can occur in closed systems.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
A student of both men, Doyle would immortalize detection as a study in “little distinctions”—a callus, a stain, a footprint or the mark of a ligature could become hallmarks of a criminal investigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Joe Kent, who served as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center from 2025 to 2026, called it “a stain on our morality.”
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The original clear stain was later painted a light green, then a dark green, then blue and is now back to green.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Bat couldn’t enjoy the taste of his drink at all because the only thing he could think about was the wet, uncomfortable stain on his shirt.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Scientists have traditionally addressed this problem by adding stains to create greater contrast.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
“If I had a bit more money, I wouldn’t have gone that way, since they’re a lot of work,” she adds, noting that the stains and water damage on the wood have to be sanded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
These include PFAS—or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances—to repel water and stains, formaldehyde-releasing resins to resist wrinkles, biocides to control odor, silicone softeners and dyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 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
She stared at the dark-brown stains and wondered if, maybe, things could go back to the way they had been before.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
Sweet carefully transfers the delicate tissue onto a glass slide, where selected cellular structures are stained to make them easier to distinguish under a powerful microscope.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 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
They shimmer from the pages like bright bits of stained glass, and their names are equally enchanting: common blue, painted lady, Queen of Spain fritillary, black-veined white and northern brown argus, among others.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Glimpses of the Doheny Mansion, clockwise from left: the music room; a stained glass sky light; a sculpture adorns a table in the Pompeian Room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
He had on a long, dirty coat, its fur-lined sleeves ratty and stained, that looked as though he hadn’t taken it off for months.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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
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
The only way to get fake blood out of your skin when it’s been sitting on there for a couple of hours and it’s really soaked in and it’s staining: shaving cream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024
Her mascara ran, staining the collar of her blouse something awful.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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