What does "smudge" mean?
A blemish or smear, especially a dark or sooty one.
Smudge
name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·1 syllable ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A blemish or smear, especially a dark or sooty one.
- Grammar: smudge is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: smear, afterdamp, ash, ashes.
- Useful contrasts: most physical trace, block of color, clarify.
- Usage evidence: There was a smudge of lipstick on his cheek, and his tie was loose.
How to use "smudge"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "smudge" 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 "smudge" 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 "smudge" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "smudge" 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 "smudge" is acting as name, 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 "smear" 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 "smudge", 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 blemish or smear, especially a dark or sooty one. countable, uncountable
"There was a smudge on the paper."
- 2 a blemish made by dirt wordnet
- 3 Dense smoke, such as that used for fumigation. countable, uncountable
- 4 a smoky fire to drive away insects wordnet
- 5 A heap of damp combustibles partially ignited and burning slowly, placed on the windward side of a house, tent, etc. to keep off mosquitoes or other insects. US, countable, uncountable
"Then "smudges" are in vogue,—heaps of damp combustibles placed on the windward side of the house and partially ignited, that their inky steams may smother the mosquitoes while we take our chance. I have had a "smudge" made in a chafing-dish at my bedside, after a serious deliberation between choking and being devoured at small mouthfuls; and I conscientiously recommend choking, or running the risk of it, at least."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A quantity of herbs used in suffumigation. countable, especially, uncountable
"Devil's dirt or asafetida ground together with fenugreek and black cumin seed is used as a smudge against witches and […]"
Verb
- 1 To obscure by blurring; to smear.
- 2 make a smudge on; soil by smudging wordnet
- 3 To soil or smear with dirt.
- 4 To use dense smoke to protect from insects.
- 5 To stifle or smother with smoke.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To burn herbs as a cleansing ritual (suffumigation). intransitive
- 7 To subject to ritual burning of herbs (suffumigation, smudging). transitive
"This is easily done using incense to smudge yourself or taking a cleansing bath. To smudge your body use an incense mixture such as sandalwood, lavender, frankincense or myrrh."
Proper Noun
- 1 A nickname of someone with the surname Smith. Australia, UK
"For quotations using this term, see Citations:Smudge."
Example
"There was a smudge of lipstick on his cheek, and his tie was loose."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "smudge"?
Common synonyms include: smear, afterdamp, ash, ashes, aspersion, attaint.
How do you use "smudge" in a sentence?
There was a smudge of lipstick on his cheek, and his tie was loose.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Derived from the verb (see below). Doublet of smutch.
Etymology 2
From Middle English *smogen (attested in the gerund smogynge (“soiling, smudging”)), of obscure origin. Compare Middle English besmudded, bismuddet (“filthy”), Middle English smod (“filth, obscene behaviour”), Middle Dutch smoddich (“filthy, dirty”), German schmutzig (“dirty, filthy”).
Etymology 3
As smiths are often covered in smudges of soot.