What does "stain" mean?
A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
Stain
/steɪn/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
- Grammar: stain is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: blot, discoloration, mark, soil.
- Useful contrasts: aflaxen, colorless soil, pale.
- Usage evidence: Two shirts and suits, please. There's a stain here.
How to use "stain"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stain" 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 "stain" 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 "stain" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stain" 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 "stain" 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 "blot" 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 "stain", 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 discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.
- 2 an act that brings discredit to the person who does it wordnet
- 3 A blemish on one's character or reputation.
- 4 a soiled or discolored appearance wordnet
- 5 A substance used to soak into a surface and colour it.
"The wood will darken whether it is stained or not—the main function of a stain is to enhance the wood's natural color and emphasize its grain."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a symbol of disgrace or infamy wordnet
- 7 A reagent or dye used to stain microscope specimens so as to make some structures visible.
- 8 anything regarded as making something unclean wordnet
- 9 One of a number of non-standard tinctures used chiefly in post-medieval heraldry, especially tenné, murrey, or sanguine.
- 10 (microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible wordnet
Verb
- 1 To discolor, as by spilling or other contact with a fluid or substance. transitive
"to stain the hand with dye"
- 2 color for microscopic study wordnet
- 3 To taint or tarnish someone's character or reputation
"of Honour void, Of Innocence, of Faith, of Puritie, Our wonted Ornaments now soild and staind"
- 4 color with a liquid dye or tint wordnet
- 5 To coat a surface with a stain
"to stain wood with acids, coloured washes, paint rubbed in, etc."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 produce or leave stains wordnet
- 7 To become stained; to take a stain. intransitive
- 8 make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically wordnet
- 9 To treat (a microscopic specimen) with a dye, especially one that dyes specific features transitive
- 10 To cause to seem inferior or soiled by comparison.
"She stains the ripest virgins of her age."
Example
"Two shirts and suits, please. There's a stain here."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stain"?
Common synonyms include: blot, discoloration, mark, soil, spot, aggravate.
How do you use "stain" in a sentence?
Two shirts and suits, please. There's a stain here.
How do you pronounce "stain"?
Pronounced /steɪn/.
Etymology
From Middle English steinen, steynen (“to stain, colour, paint”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse steina (“to stain, colour, paint”), from steinn (“stone, mineral blue, colour, stain”), from Proto-Norse ᛊᛏᚨᛁᚾᚨᛉ (stainaʀ), from Proto-Germanic *stainaz (“stone”), from Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- (“to stiffen”). Cognate with Old English stān (“stone”). More at stone. Replaced native Middle English wem (“spot, blemish, stain”), from Old English wamm (“spot, stain”). In some senses, influenced by unrelated Middle English disteynen (“to discolor, remove the colour from"; literally, "de-colour”), from Anglo-Norman desteindre (“to remove the colour from, bleach”), from Old French destaindre (“to remove the color from, bleach”), from des- (“dis-, de-, un-”) + teindre (“to dye”), from Latin tingo.