smear

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a viscous or sticky substance
b
: a spot made by or as if by an unctuous or adhesive substance
2
: material smeared on a surface (as of a microscopic slide)
also : a preparation made by smearing material on a surface
a vaginal smear
3
: a usually unsubstantiated charge or accusation against a person or organization
often used attributively
a smear campaign
a smear job

smear

2 of 2

verb

smeared; smearing; smears

transitive verb

1
a
: to overspread with something unctuous, viscous, or adhesive : daub
smeared the paper with glue
b
: to spread over a surface
2
a
: to stain, smudge, or dirty by or as if by smearing
b
: sully, besmirch
specifically : to vilify especially by secretly and maliciously spreading grave charges and imputations
3
: to obliterate, obscure, blur, blend, wipe out, or defeat by or as if by smearing
smearer noun

Examples of smear in a Sentence

Noun The blood smear revealed malaria. Verb The children smeared the window with fingerprints. She smeared jam on her toast. Butter was smeared all over the counter. Her mascara smeared when she cried.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
When the brawlers slice the air, smears of paint streak across the frame. Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Pickled cranberries, candied pepitas and blue cheese nestle into a decadent smear of butternut squash lined with streaks of hot honey. The Indianapolis Star, 19 Feb. 2024 Now, imagine this: your settings are slightly off, or perhaps there's a blind spot, even a smear on your lens that alters your view without your knowledge. Kathy Miller Perkins, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Fretwell told the publication that satellite images showed reddish-brown smears on the otherwise colorless ice. Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024 But the biggest blob, a red oblong smear, stretches out over the Los Angeles valley like molten lava. Malia Wollan, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024 Then, about halfway through her tamoxifen regimen, Debra got a letter in the mail with bad news: The results of her latest pap smear were abnormal. Longreads, 4 Jan. 2024 Since pap smears began screening for HPV by taking a sample of the cervix, Saphier noted that cervical cancer mortality has decreased. Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2024 The chicken banh mi is delicious and wrong: Plenty of shredded chicken and a smear of pate don’t have enough pickled carrot and cilantro and hot pepper to hit the balance of the Vietnamese icon. Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Verb
When my plate arrived, my friend made a face as though it was smeared with something nasty. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 In 2022, Sima Nan, a nationalist pundit known for his inflammatory criticism of the United States, famously accused Mo’s Nobel win of being a Western effort to smear China. Nectar Gan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Once the focaccia is sliced and smeared with aioli, the fennel and arugula mix is added. Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 7 Mar. 2024 Garlic ranch, Nashville hot, creamy jalapeño, spicy hot honey, green goddess and parmesan ranch are all launching in the next few weeks, and each one is meant for tossing in a salad or smearing on a sandwich. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Senator Joe McCarthy and his allies tried to tear down the reputations of the internationalist proponents of the New Deal who most fervently advocated for the war, by smearing them as Communists. Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024 The exterior is smudged, the wheels brown, the components smeared with years of soot. David Waldstein, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The fateful red hand that intrudes into other works here smears blood on that wall, as if left behind by a slumping body. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 At the time the notes handed over from the paramedics were smeared with blood. Mostafa Salem, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English smere, from Old English smeoru; akin to Old High German smero grease and probably to Old Irish smiur marrow

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of smear was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near smear

Cite this Entry

“Smear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smear. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

smear

1 of 2 noun
1
: a spot made by or as if by an oily or sticky substance : smudge
2
: material smeared on a surface
especially : material prepared for microscopic examination by smearing on a slide compare pap smear
3
: a usually unproven charge or accusation

smear

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to spread with something oily or sticky
b
: to spread over a surface
2
a
: to stain, smudge, or dirty by or as if by smearing
b
: to harm the reputation of
3
: to blot out or blur by or as if by smearing
smearer noun

Medical Definition

smear

1 of 2 noun
: material spread on a surface (as of a microscopic slide)
also : a preparation made by spreading material on a surface see pap smear, vaginal smear

smear

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to prepare as a smear for microscopic examination : make a smear of

More from Merriam-Webster on smear

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