Smear

Definition: Smear

Smear

Noun

1. Slanderous defamation.

2. A thin tissue or blood sample spread on a glass slide and stained for cytologic examination and diagnosis under a microscope.

3. A blemish made by dirt; "he had a smudge on his cheek".

4. An act that brings discredit to the person who does it; "he made a huge blot on his copybook".

Verb

1. Spread or daub over.

2. Stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance.

3. Make a smudge on; soil by smudging.

4. Cover (a surface) by smearing (a substance) over it; "smear the wall with paint"; "daub the ceiling with plaster"".

5. Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!" The article in the paper sullied my reputation".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "smear" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references)

Electrical Engineering

Slang in 1811

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Synonyms: Smear

Government

Negative campaigning, dirty politics, smear campaign.

Uncleanness

Render unclean; Adjective: dirt, dirty; daub, blot, blur, smudge, smutch, soil, smoke, tarnish, slaver, spot, smear; smirch; begrease;dabble, drabble, draggle, daggle; spatter, slubber; besmear; bemire, beslime, begrime, befoul; splash, stain, distain, maculate, sully, pollute, defile, debase, contaminate, taint, leaven; corrupt; (injure); cover with dust; Noun: drabble in the mud; roil.

Crosswords: Smear

The last time I had a pap smear, the guy needed leather gloves and an oyster shucker. (There's Something About Mary; writing credit: Ed Decter; John J. Strauss)

Big Tobacco tried to smear Wigand, you bought it. The Wall Street Journal, here, not exactly a bastion of anti-capitalist sentiment, refutes Big Tobacco's smear campaign as the lowest form of character assassination! (The Insider; writing credit: Eric Roth)

' It quotes Richard Scruggs calling it, 'the worse kind of an organized smear campaign against a Whistleblower'. (The Insider; writing credit: Eric Roth)

Pap smear, mammography, spelling. (Doctor Doctor; writing credit: Paul Attanasio; Neena Beber)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Direct Smear Atlas: A Monograph of Gram-Stained Preparations of Clinical Specimens (reference)

• Direct Smear Cd: A CD-ROM Atlas of Gram Stained Clinical Specimens (Cd-Rom For Windows & Macintosh Individual Version) (reference)

• Hematography I: An Instructional Program in Blood Smear Examination and Normal Hematology Morphology (reference)

• Political Mischief: Smear, Sabotage, and Reform in U.S. Elections (reference)

  (more book examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

One of the many uses for the laser in medical research is as a light source to detect premalignant and malignant cells in a Pap smear. Shown here are gynecologic cells passing in a stream through the laser beam where each cell is analyzed. Abnormal-appearing cells can be sorted from the rest of the cells and later examined by a pathologist for evidence of cancer. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist.

Human pap smear showing clamydia in the vacuoles at 500x and stained with H&E. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist.

Bipolar staining of a plague smear prepared from lymph aspirated from an adenopathic lymph node, or bubo, of plague patient. Credit: CDC.

Photomicrograph of Cryptosporidium parvum oocyts in stool smear, acid fast stain. Photograph of water fountain with sign that water is unsafe. Parasite. Credit: CDC.

Trypanosoma cruzi in blood smear. Credit: CDC.

Cysts of Pneumocystis carinii in smear from bronchoalveolar lavage. Methenamine silver stain. Credit: CDC.

Smear of Pneumocystis carinii, concentrated from human lung. Giemsa stain. Credit: CDC.

Plasmodium falciparum rings in erythrocytes, blood smear. Parasite. Credit: CDC.

Bone marrow smear showing Leishmania donovani parasites in a bone marrow histiocyte from a dog (Giemsa stain). Credit: CDC.

Leptospira bacteria, FA stain of liver impression smear from patient who died of leptospirosis. Credit: CDC.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Health

Diagnosis can be confirmed by a potassium hydroxide smear. (references)

A Pap smear can detect pre-cancerous and cancerous cells on the cervix. (references)

Others are "low-risk," and they may cause mild Pap smear abnormalities and genital warts. (references)

Business

In 1998 the government launched a heavily advertised and extremely successful free Pap smear testing campaign, in order to screen cervical cancer in its earliest stages. (references)

Civil Liberties

Guatemala

The accusations are in connection with alleged involvement in a government-directed smear campaign against Jorge Briz, the former head of the Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce. (references)

Human Rights

Mexico

The harassment took the form of spurious criminal charges, public smear campaigns, and surveillance of human rights defenders. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expressions using "smear": Abnormal Pap Smear ♦ alimentary tract smear ♦ bronchoscopic smear ♦ cervical smear ♦ cytologic smear ♦ duodenal smear ♦ esophageal smear ♦ gastric smear ♦ lower respiratory tract smear ♦ oral smear ♦ pap smear ♦ papanicolaou smear ♦ paraduodenal smear ♦ smear a rat ♦ smear all over ♦ smear campaign ♦ smear dab ♦ Smear Layer ♦ smear loop ♦ smear on ♦ smear sheet ♦ smear smb. ♦ smear test ♦ smear with paste ♦ smear word ♦ sputum smear ♦ vaginal smear. Additional references.

Beginning with "smear": smear-test.

Ending with "smear": anti-smear, counter-smear, mere-smear.

Albanian

njollos (bespatter, blacken, blemish, blot, blur, cloud, defile, dye, imbrue, smirch, smudge, splash, splotch, spot, stain, sully), njolloj (blemish, blot, blur, spot, stain, sully, thumb), njollë (blemish, blot, blotch, blur, cloud, discoloration, imputation, Mark, mote, nebula, patch, plash, slur, smirch, smudge, soil, splodge, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, taint), ndot (bedaub, besmirch, bespatter, contaminate, defile, dirty, disgust, foul, grime, pollute, repugnance, smirch, smudge, soil, splash), lyej (anoint, black, color, colour, daub, dye, lubricate, miniate, overspread, paint, retouch, tint, whitewash), leros (dirty, soil), bëhem pis. (various references)

Arabic 

‏مطخة حبر, ‏مادة دبقة, ‏هزم هزيمة قاسية (thrash out, trounce), ‏لوث (bedaub, befoul, besmear, besmirch, blot, contaminate, daub, defile, degrade, dirty, discredit, file, foul, pollute, smirch, soil, spot, stain, sully, taint, tarnish), ‏لطخة (blot, blotch, blurring, cloud, macula, slur, smirch, smudge, soil, speckle, splash, spot, sully), ‏لطخ (bedaub, besmear, blot, blotch, blur, daub, smirch, smudge, smutch, soil, splash, splotch, spot, stain, streak, sully, taint, tarnish), ‏توسخ (smudge), ‏سال (flow, flux, gather, liquefy, liquidate, pour, run, seep, shed, stream, trill), ‏طمسة (smudge), ‏آذى (annoy, damage, disagree, harm, hurt, impair, injure, lacerate, make mischief, malign, offend, prejudice, prey on, reflect, work mischief), ‏شوه السمعة (blacken, defame, slander, soil, spatter, splatter), ‏دهن (butter, fat, grease, lipid, oil, paint, plaster, render, rub in, shortening), ‏بقعة (blot, blotch, macula, patch, smudge, spatter, speck, splash, splotch, spot, stain, streak, terrain). (various references)

Bulgarian 

смазвам (bow down, grease, jam, lubricate, mop up, oil, overbear, overwhelm, prostrate, pulverize, slush, smash, squelch, steamroller, tread down, tread under, unstring, weigh down, whelm), клевета (aspersion, backbite, calumny, defamation, libel, scandal, slander, slur), оцапвам (dirty, muddy, slubber, soil, splotch, stain), намазка, намазвам (anoint, embrocate, grease, paint, smarm), мажа (daub, dub, grease, paint, spread), леке (blotch, bugger, snot, soil, spot, stain), петня (blaspheme, blemish, cast reflection on, denigrate, disfigure, libel, pollute, slur, smirch, soil, speck, spot, stain, stigmatize, sully, tarnish), петно (attaint, blob, blot, blotch, dab, daub, defilement, flaw, fleck, mottle, note, offset, reflection, slur, smirch, smudge, soil, spot, stain, stigma, sully, taint, tarnish). (various references)

Chinese 

誣�"� (slander, vilify), 搽 (apply, paint on), 污迹, 污衊 (slander, tarnish), 弄�' (defile). (various references)

Czech

skvrna (blob, blot, blotch, blur, carbuncle, fleck, macula, slur, smirch, smudge, soil, spatter, speck, splash, spot, stain, taint, tarnish), výtìr, umazat (besmear, soil, spot), pomluva (calumny, defamation, obloquy, slander, slur, stab), pokaòkat (blot, Mark), kaòka (blob, blot, blotch, smudge, stain). (various references)

Danish

smøre (anoint, spread). (various references)

Dutch

smeren (anoint, spread), sauzen (anoint, pour, rain cats and dogs, spread), doorsmeren (anoint, spread), besmeren (anoint, spread). (various references)

Esperanto

ŝmiri (anoint, spread). (various references)

Faeroese

smyrja (anoint, make up, spread), mutra (anoint, spread). (various references)

Farsi 

لکه دارکردن (Blame, Blemish, Brand, Denigrate, Foul, Soil, Speck, Stain, Stigmatize, Sully, Taint, Tarnish), لکه (Blob, Blot, Blotch, Blur, Dirt, Dot, Freckle, Gall, Glob, Pip, Smooch, Smudge, Smut, Splotch, Spot, Stain, Taint), الودن (Ntaminate, Pollute, Spatter, Tincture), اغشتن (Imbue, Indoctrinate, Inoculate, Saturate, Welter). (various references)

Finnish

suusärö, suuritsi, voidella (anoint, grease, lubricate, oil, spread, wax), vioittunut suun pinta, limainen pinta, häntä (brush, her, him, tail). (various references)

French

tache (smirch, smudge), prélèvement, maculer (smudge), frottis, enduire, étaler. (various references)

German

schmieren (anoint, butter, daub, give bribes, goos, grease, grease smb.'s palm, lubricate, lubrication, oil, rub in, scrawl, slosh, spread, Square, tallow, to daub, to smear), abstrich (cutback, down-stroke, swab). (various references)

Greek 

κηλιδώνω (besmirch, blemish, blot, blotch, defile, moil, slur, smirch, smudge, smut, speck, speckle, spot, stain, sully), λερώνω (bedraggle, befoul, begrime, besmear, besmirch, bespatter, blacken, defile, dirty, foul, grime, moil, slur, smirch, soil, splotch, stain, sully). (various references)

Hebrew 

למשוח (anoint, consecrate, grease, paint), ל�"שמיץ (back bite, badmouth, blacken, defame, denigrate, malign, slander, slur, stigmatize, traduce, vilify), לסוך (anoint, grease, lubricate, oil), כתם (mole, patch, slur, smudge, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, tarnish), �"שמצ�" (aspersion, defamation, disgracing, mudslinging, slander, slur, smearing, vilification), �"כפשת שם. (various references)

Hungarian

zsírfolt, maszat (black, mess-up, smut, splodge, splosh, splotch), kenet (salve, swab, unction). (various references)

Indonesian

mencoteng (stain), mencontengkan, melumurkan (daub, soil), melumasi (embrocate, grease). (various references)

Italian

sbavare (dribble, dribble down, dribble over, drivel, drool, smudge). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

スマート爆弾 (slice, slide, slider, slider-memory, sliding, smack, smart bomb, smash, smellovision, smile, smiley, Smithsonian Institution, smog, smoke, smoked cheese, smoked salmon, smoker, smooth, smoothing operation, variable autotransformer), 塗抹 (coating over, daub). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

スミアー , スメアー , スメア , とまつ (coating over, daub). (various references)

Korean 

얼룩 (smudge, speck, speckle, stain). (various references)

Manx

tootey (sticky thing), smearey (blemish, blur, smudge, splotch, stain), slaa (bedaub, besmear, blotch of colour, dash, daub, daubing, paint; blotting, painting, plaster, smarm, smearing; dab of paint, spatter, spread, spreading). (various references)

Norwegian

smøre (anoint, lubricate, spread). (various references)

Pig Latin

earsmay

Portuguese

nódoa (blur, fleck, smirch, soil, splodge, splotch, spot, stain, taint, tarnish). (various references)

Romanian

stropi (asperse, beddable, besmear, besmirch, dabble, damp, dash, drop, irrigate, perfuse, smirch, sparge, spatter, speck, splash, splatter, splutter, spray, sprinkle, sputter, squirt, water), spurca (besmear, besmirch, defile, desecrate, dirty, smirch, soil, taint, vitiate), unge (anoint, besmear, coat, dab, daub, dope, dub, embrocate, grease, grease smb.'s palm, lubricate, nobble, oil, oil smb.'s palms, palm, pomade, salve, soap, whitewash), patã (blemish, blot, blur, breath, dab, flaw, fleck, Mark, patch, slur, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, spatter, spill, splash, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, taint, tarnish, ulcer), pãta (attaint, blemish, cloud, foul, maculate, Mark, slop, smirch, smut, soil, speckle, splash, splatter, spoil, spot, stain, sully), murdãri (bedraggle, begrime, besmear, besmirch, blot, contaminate, defile, foul, litter, mess, muck, muddy, pollute, puddle, slop, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, splash, splatter, spot, stain, sully, tarnish), mâzgãliturã (doodle, scratch, scribble, slur, smirch, smudge), mâzgãli (blot, daub, scratch, scrawl, scribble, slur, smirch, smudge), gresa (grease, lubricate, oil, tallow), defãima (asperse, belie, black, blemish, bring reproach upon, calumniate, cast a slur upon, defame, denigrate, depreciate, disparage, libel, put a slur upon, slander, slur, spatter, traduce, vilify), bârfi (backbite, calumniate, cast a slur upon, chatter, decry, defame, gossip, malign, put a slur upon, revile, slander, slur, talk, talk scandal). (various references)

Russian 

смазывать (anoint, blur, grease, lubricate, lubricated, oil, salve), вымазать (soil), пятно (attaint, blemish, blot, blotch, blur, cloud, fleck, imputation, moil, patch, reflection, reflexion, smirch, smudge, soil, spot, spots of, stain, stigma, taint), пачкать (befoul, begrime, besmear, besmirch, daub, mess, smirch, smudge, soil, splotch, spot, sully), измазать (smear all over). (various references)

Scottish

smiùr. (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zamazati (besmear, besmirch, gild the pill, slush, smudge, soil), premazati (bespread, coat, daub, grease, ice, paint out, paint over), premaz (daub, spread), potući do nogu (cream, rout, skunk), oklevetati (asperse, defame, denigrate, hurl, libel, malign, slander, vilify), mrlja (attaint, blot, dab, fleck, smirch, smudge, splash, splotch, spot, stain, taint), mazati se (put on, smudge), kleveta (aspersion, calumny, detraction, libel, obloquy, slander, slur), bris. (various references)

Spanish

manchar (bedaub, befoul, besmirch, blemish, blot, blotch, blur, dapple, daub, defile, dirty, foul, maculate, Mark, smudge, soil, spot, stain, sully, taint, tarnish), frotis (squash technique). (various references)

Swedish

smeta (daub). (various references)

Thai

สิ่งที่เอาไว้ละเลง, ทำให้เสื่อมเสีย (tarnish), ทำให้พ่ายแพ้ (cow down, smash), การใส่ความ, ละเลง, รอยเปื้อน (grime, smudge, smutch, taint), คำพู�"ใส่ร้าย. (various references)

Turkish

simir, sürmek (apply, banish, bedaub, cast out, coat, continue, daub, distribute, drive, drive out, endure, exile, expatriate, expel, hang over, herd, last, lay on, lead, ostracize, outlaw, persist, pitchfork, relegate, roll, rub, run, slip in, splash, spread, steer, stock, stream, stuff, throw out, till, tool along, transport, wipe on), sürme (application, continuation, cursor, drive, driving, eye liner, Kohl, proscription), lekelemek (asperse, attaint, bastardize, bedaub, befoul, besmirch, blacken, blemish, blot, blotch, blur, brand, breathe upon, cloud, defile, dirty, discolor, discolour, dishonor, fleck, flecker, maculate, mottle, slur, smirch, smudge, smutch, soil, spatter, speckle, splodge, splotch, spot, sprinkle, stain, stigmatize, sully, taint, tarnish), bulaştırmak (bedabble, bedaub, besmear, blur, communicate, contaminate, corrupt, daub, dirty, drag, embroil, entangle, imbrue, implicate, infect, involve, inweave, propagate, slush, smudge, splodge, splotch, spread, taint, transmit, twine), iftira (aspersion, calumniation, calumny, complaint, defamation, denigration, malediction, obloquy, scandal, slander, vilification), iftira atmak (cast aspersions upon smb., fling dirt at smb., throw dirt at smb.), kaybolmak (be lost, clear away, die away, die down, disappear, go, go astray, lose, lose one's bearings, lose out, wander, wither), kir (dirt, filth, grime, smirch, soil, stain, tarnish), kirletmek (bedaub, befoul, begrime, bemire, besmear, besmirch, blot, contaminate, daub, defile, dirty, foul, foul up, grime, make dirty, mess, pollute, rape, slur, smirch, smutch, soil, spatter, stain, sully, tarnish, vitiate), bulaşmak (be contaminated by, be involved, be transmitted by, become entangled in, catch, get at, get into a row, have a hand in, have one's hand in, mess with, rub on, smudge, welter), leke (attaint, blemish, blob, blot, blotch, blur, cloud, discoloration, discolouration, fleck, Mackle, macula, maculation, mottle, shame, slur, smirch, soil, splodge, splotch, spot, stain, stigma, taint, tarnish), yağ bulaştırmak, pislemek, pislenmek (become dirty, dirty, foul), pislik (contamination, crap, crud, dinginess, dirt, dirtiness, excrement, excreta, faecal matter, faeces, feculence, filth, filthiness, foulness, gook, griminess, impurity, jerk, mess, mire, muck, nastiness, offscourings, ordure, pollution, scum, scurvy, smut, soil, sordidness, squalor, uncleanliness), lâm üzerine sürülen madde. (various references)

Turkmen 

зyrюamak (rub in, spread), зalmak (rub, spread). (various references)

Ukrainian

в'язка речовина, наклеп (calumniation, calumny, defamation, denigration, libel, malediction, mud, mudslinging, slander, slur), мазатися, мазати (daub), бруднитися (dirty, smudge, soil), бруднити (befoul, begrime, bespatter, blur, daub, dirty, discolor, discolour, foul, mess up, muck, muss, smudge, soil, sully), пляма (blot, blotch, blur, discoloration, discolouration, fleck, macula, maculation, slur, smirch, splash, spot, stain, star, taint). (various references)

Vietnamese 

sự bôi nhọ (aspersion, denigration), lời nói xấu (aspersion, defamation, slander), đốm bẩn. (various references)

Welsh

iro (anoint, baste, grease, rub), cluro (rub). (various references)

cera, circumlevisti, lesem, levi, levistis, levit, lineam, lineas, lini, liniebant, linies, liniretur, liniri, linitionem, liniunt, linivit, lino, linoque, linui, linuit, linunt, lita, litura, litus, perliniens, sufficerat. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "smear": smearcase, smearcases, smeared, smearer, smearers, smearier, smeariest, smearing, smears, smeary. (additional references)

Words ending with "smear": besmear. (additional references)

Words containing "smear": besmeared, besmearing, besmears. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Smear" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: esmer, Mear, msar, Omeara, samer, scear, Semaf, semear, semur, skear, skera, smaak, smae, smar, smare, smarn, smarv, smea, smead, Smeal, smeer, smei, smeo, smer, smern, smial, smmap, smsa, snea, snear, stear. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: mares, marse, maser, reams.

-1 letter: ares, arms, arse, ears, eras, maes, mare, mars, mesa, rams, rase, ream, rems, same, seam, sear, sera.

-2 letters: are, arm, ars, ear, ems, era, ers, mae, mar, mas, ram, ras, rem, res, sae, sea, ser.

-3 letters: ae, am, ar, as, em, er, es, ma, me, re.

+1 letter: aimers, ambers, ameers, amuser, armers, armets, armies, breams, creams, dermas, dreams, embars, frames, gamers, harems, macers, madres, makers, marges, marses, masers, masher, masker, master, maters, matres, mazers, namers, ramees, ramens, ramets, ramies, ramose, realms, rearms, remans, remaps, scream, seamer, shmear, smears, smeary, stream, tamers.

+2 letters: admires, almners, amasser, ambeers, amblers, ambries, amerces, amperes, amusers, armless, armlets, armrest, armures, assumer, besmear, beswarm, blamers, cambers, cameras, campers, crambes, dammers, damners, dampers, demarks, embarks, enamors, engrams, farmers, ferbams, flamers, foamers, framers, gammers, germans, gisarme, grammes, hammers, hampers, hamster, hareems, harmers, imagers, imarets, impresa, jammers, lambers, lampers, lamster, madders, maestri, maestro, mailers, maimers, mammers, mangers, manners, manures, mappers, marbles, marcels, marches, marines, markers, markets, marques, marrers, marries, marshes, martens, marvels, mashers, maskers, masquer, masseur, massier, masters, mastery, matters, matures, maulers, meaners, measure, medlars, mesarch, mirages, misaver, mishear, misrate, misread, moaners, morales, oarsmen, palmers, pampers, preamps, prearms, racemes, radomes, rambles, ramjets, rammers, realism, reamers, remails, remains, remakes, remands, remarks, remates, remoras, remudas, renames, restamp, reteams, revamps, rewarms, roamers, sampler, sarment, scamper, schmear, screams, seamark, seamers, seamier, sedarim, seminar, semiraw, seriema, serumal, shammer, shmears, sidearm, slammer, smacker, smaller, smarted, smarten, smarter, smartie, smasher, smatter, smeared, smearer, spammer, stammer, stamper, steamer, streams, streamy, strumae, surname, swamper, swarmed, swarmer, tampers, tramels, uremias, vampers, warmers, warmest, womeras, yammers.

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