What does "smear" mean?
A mark made by smearing.
Smear
/smiɚ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A mark made by smearing.
- Grammar: smear is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: daub, smudge, spot, stain.
- Useful contrasts: clean, clean surface, clear.
- Usage evidence: I'd like to have a Pap smear done.
How to use "smear"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "smear" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "smear" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "smear" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "smear" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "smear" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "daub" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "smear", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mark made by smearing. countable, uncountable
"This detergent cleans windows without leaving smears."
- 2 an act that brings discredit to the person who does it wordnet
- 3 A false or unsupported, malicious statement intended to injure a person's reputation. countable, uncountable
"smear campaign"
- 4 a blemish made by dirt wordnet
- 5 A preparation to be examined under a microscope, made by spreading a thin layer of a substance (such as blood, bacterial culture) on a slide. countable, uncountable
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a thin tissue or blood sample spread on a glass slide and stained for cytologic examination and diagnosis under a microscope wordnet
- 7 A Pap smear (screening test for cervical cancer). countable, uncountable
"I'm going to the doctor's this afternoon for a smear."
- 8 slanderous defamation wordnet
- 9 Any of various forms of distortion that make a signal harder to see or hear. uncountable
"In television terms, a certain amount of smear, ringing, and anticipatory overshoot are indigenous to VSB transmission."
- 10 A maneuver in which the shoe is placed onto the holdless rock, and the friction from the shoe keeps it in contact countable, uncountable
- 11 A rough glissando in jazz music. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing. transitive
"The artist smeared paint over the canvas in broad strokes."
- 2 charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone wordnet
- 3 To cover (a surface with a layer of some substance) by rubbing. transitive
"She smeared her lips with lipstick."
- 4 cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it wordnet
- 5 To make something dirty. transitive
"A man may bee smeared or grimed, and euerie man shall laugh at him, and yet he himselfe shall not perceiue it a whit."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 make a smudge on; soil by smudging wordnet
- 7 (of a substance, etc.) To make a surface dirty by covering it. transitive
"a pallor which was accentuated by the blood which smeared her lips and cheeks and chin"
- 8 stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance wordnet
- 9 To damage someone's reputation by slandering, misrepresenting, or otherwise making false accusations about them, their statements, or their actions. derogatory, transitive
"The opposition party attempted to smear the candidate by spreading incorrect and unverifiable rumors about their personal behavior."
- 10 To cause (something) to be messy or not clear by rubbing and spreading it. transitive
"When she had entered two or three laborious items in the account-book, Jip would walk over the page, wagging his tail, and smear them all out."
- 11 To become messy or not clear by being spread. intransitive
"The paint is still wet — don't touch it or it will smear."
- 12 To write or draw (something) by spreading a substance on a surface. transitive
"ciphers smeared on the windows of condemned shops"
- 13 To cause (something) to be a particular colour by covering with a substance. transitive
"small wooden dolls smeared red as though with blood"
- 14 To rub (a body part, etc.) across a surface. transitive
"[…] he smeared his ragged rough sleeve over his eyes."
- 15 To attempt to remove (a substance) from a surface by rubbing. transitive
"He had […] a dirty belcher handkerchief round his neck, with the long frayed ends of which he smeared the beer from his face as he spoke:"
- 16 To climb without using footholds, using the friction from the shoe to stay on the wall.
Example
"I'd like to have a Pap smear done."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "smear"?
Common synonyms include: daub, smudge, spot, stain, aftershaves, anoint.
How do you use "smear" in a sentence?
I'd like to have a Pap smear done.
How do you pronounce "smear"?
Pronounced /smiɚ/.
Etymology
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, Low German smeren, German schmieren.