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 )

Other Words From

• be·smearer noun
• unbe·smeared adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of besmear¹

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

Example Sentences

Even calling now-Kentucky Governor Andy Besmear “Abortion Andy” for his refusal to defend Kentucky’s anti-abortion laws couldn’t save Bevin’s job.

From The Guardian

“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

Revere, a silversmith and a political firebrand, used his engraving skills to produce a clumsy but effective broadside of the attack, with three columns of doggerel printed underneath: “Unhappy Boston! See thy Sons deplore,/Thy hallow’d Walks besmear’d with guiltless Gore.”

From Washington Post

Her legal team has also filed a suit against Governor Besmear and another state official accusing them of violating her religious freedom.

From Time

Her lawyers asked for an injunction from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals directing Kentucky Gov. Steve Besmear to remove her name from the marriage licenses the county issues.

From Time