smear

CEFRB2

/smɪə(ɹ)/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    To spread a substance messily; a harmful accusation.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    To cover (a surface with a layer of some substance) by rubbing.

Examples

  • I'd like to have a Pap smear done.

  • The ruling party is running a smear campaign against the opposition.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /smiɚ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. To make something dirty.

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.

  2. (of a substance, etc.) To make a surface dirty by covering it.

More examples

In context

  • The artist smeared paint over the canvas in broad strokes.

  • The opposition party attempted to smear the candidate by spreading incorrect and unverifiable rumors about their personal behavior.

  • She smeared her lips with lipstick.

Synonyms

Quick test

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Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English smeren, smerien, from Old English smerian, smyrian, smierwan (“to anoint or rub with grease, oil, etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *smirwijan, from Proto-Germanic *smirwijaną. Doublet of schmear. Cognate with Saterland Frisian smeere, Dutch smeren (“to smear, lubricate”), Low German smeren, German schmieren (“to smear, lubricate”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål smøre (“to lubricate”), Norwegian Nynorsk smørja (“to lubricate”), Swedish smörja (“to grease”), Faroese and Icelandic smyrja.