besmirchverb [ T ]
uk/bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/us/bɪˈsmɝːtʃ/literaryto say bad things about someone to influence other people's opinion of them:
His accusations were false, but they served to besmirch her reputation.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Damaging reputation
- black mark
- blacken
- blot
- blot your copybook idiom
- calumniate
- calumnious
- drag sb's name through the mire/mud idiom
- give a dog a bad name idiom
- hurl/throw/sling mud at sb idiom
- impugn
- libel
- mud
- poison
- show someone in a bad light idiom
- slander
- stab
- stain
- sully
- taint
- vilify
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