smear

verb

/smɪə(r)/

/smɪr/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they smear	/smɪə(r)/ /smɪr/
he / she / it smears	/smɪəz/ /smɪrz/
past simple smeared	/smɪəd/ /smɪrd/
past participle smeared	/smɪəd/ /smɪrd/
-ing form smearing	/ˈsmɪərɪŋ/ /ˈsmɪrɪŋ/

jump to other results

[transitive] to spread an oily or soft substance over a surface in a rough or careless way synonym daub
- smear something on/over something The children had smeared mud on the walls.
- smear something with something The children had smeared the walls with mud.
- His face was smeared with blood.
Extra Examples
- She smeared the cream liberally on her face.
- The child had smeared jam all over her face.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- liberally
preposition
- across
- on
- over
- …
See full entry
[transitive, usually passive] to make something dirty or greasy
- (be) smeared His glasses were smeared.
- smeared windows
[transitive] smear somebody/something to damage somebody’s reputation by saying unpleasant things about them that are not true synonym slander
- The story was an attempt to smear the party leader.
Topics Politicsc2, Personal qualitiesc2
[transitive, usually passive, intransitive] to rub writing, a drawing, etc. so that it is no longer clear; to become not clear in this way synonym smudge
- be smeared The last few words of the letter were smeared.
- be smeared + adv./prep. Her make-up was smeared over her face and her hair was a mess.

Word OriginOld English smierwan (verb), smeoru ‘ointment, grease’, of Germanic origin; related to German schmieren (verb), Schmer (noun).

smear

noun

/smɪə(r)/

/smɪr/

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an oily or dirty mark
- a smear of jam
Synonyms mark
mark
- stain
- fingerprint
- streak
- speck
- blot
- smear
- spot
These are all words for a small area of dirt or another substance on a surface.
- mark a small area of dirt, a spot or a cut on a surface that makes it look less good:
  The kids left dirty marks all over the kitchen floor.
- stain a dirty mark on something that is difficult to remove, especially one made by a liquid:
  blood stains
- fingerprint a mark on a surface made by the pattern of lines on the end of a person’s finger, often used by the police to identify criminals:
  Her fingerprints were all over the gun.
- streak a long, thin mark or line that is a different colour from the surface it is on:
  She had streaks of grey in her hair.
- speck a very small mark, spot or piece of a substance on something:
  There isn’t a speck of dust anywhere in the house.
- blot a spot or dirty mark left on something by a substance such as ink or paint being dropped on a surface
- smear a mark made by something such as oil or paint being spread or rubbed on a surface
- spot a small dirty mark on something:
  There were grease spots all over the walls.
Patterns
- a streak/speck/blot/smear/spot of something
- a greasy mark/stain/smear
- an ink mark/stain/blot/spot
- a grease mark/stain/spot
- to leave a mark/stain/fingerprint/streak/speck/blot/smear
Extra Examples
- Here is a spray window cleaner that won't leave any smears.
- There was a smear of paint on his cheek.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- greasy
verb + smear
- leave
preposition
- smear of
See full entry
a story that is not true about somebody that is intended to damage their reputation, especially in politics
- He was the victim of a smear campaign.
Extra Examples
- The article cast a smear on the Minister for Health.
- The prime minister has called for an end to smears and personal attacks in the run-up to the election.
- a smear job on the president
- campaign smears against the socialist candidate
- the far-right smear machine
Topics Politicsc2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- political
- Democratic
- Republican
- …
smear + noun
- campaign
- tactic
- job
- …
preposition
- smear against
- smear on
See full entry
(also smear test, cervical smear)
(all British English)
(North American English Pap smear)
a medical test in which a very small amount of tissue from a woman’s cervix is removed and examined for cancer cells see also cervical smear, Pap smear
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- cervical
- Pap
- negative
- …
verbs
- get
- have
See full entry

Word OriginOld English smierwan (verb), smeoru ‘ointment, grease’, of Germanic origin; related to German schmieren (verb), Schmer (noun).