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View synonyms for besmear

besmear

[ bih-smeer ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to smear all over; bedaub.
  2. to sully; defile; soil:

    to besmear someone's reputation.



besmear

/ bɪˈsmɪə /

verb

  1. to smear over; daub
  2. to sully; defile (often in the phrase besmear ( a person's ) reputation )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • be·smearer noun
  • unbe·smeared adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of besmear1

before 1050; Middle English bismeren, Old English besmerian. See be-, smear
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Example Sentences

“Stoop, Romans, stoop/ And let us bathe our hands in Caesar’s blood/ Up to the elbows, and besmear our swords,” Brutus cries after the assassination.

From Time

They had thrown away their hats and coats, and besmeared with powder and smoke were loading and firing, each for himself.

With blood besmeared, and white with foam, While big the tears of anguish pour, He seeks, amid the forest's gloom, The humble hermit's hallowed bower.

An instant after, four Indians entered the room, all armed with tomahawks, and all besmeared with blood, upon every part of their bodies.

To daub over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and dirty.

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