1
as in painted
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
the toddler gleefully smeared her hair and face with maple syrup
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in libeled
to make untrue and harmful statements about
he is willing to smear his opponent if doing so would win the election
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smeared
Pink and blue clown paint is now smeared all over the driver's side airbag.
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Camila Domonoske, NPR, 16 Dec. 2025
Hardware stores were the best venue for cheap glues, glazes, and epoxies, which could be smeared, stuffed, and sanded into every crack and crevice.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Climate activists smeared the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, with red and black paint.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
Musk also smeared trans people, complained about Black-on-white crime, stoked fear about the end of civilization and shared his thoughts about the race of child actors.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 23 Nov. 2025
The most eye-catching of the protesters on Monday was a group wearing burlap tunics whose faces were smeared with ashes.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 18 Nov. 2025
His allies smeared the hostage families leading the demonstrations as enemy collaborators.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
Trudeau wrapped his other arm around Hadrien, who had smeared fake blood on the side of his face.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
There was plenty of actual life-threatening flooding that left mud smeared on main roads and cars tossed aside like toys.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smeared
Verb
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Disagreement over the state’s economic health Little and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle painted diverging pictures of the state’s budget and economic prospects.—
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Trump administration officials painted Macklin Good as a domestic terrorist who had attempted to ram federal agents with her car.—
Verb
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Unlike traditional cast-iron skillets, this one is coated in a black satin enamel that prevents food from sticking to the bottom, resists rust, and doesn’t require seasoning or regular upkeep.—
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Meet the expert Backstage at Anna Sui, models’ lashes were coated in layers of turquoise mascara, while at The Blonds, models sported dramatic, feathery falsies saturated in a shade of shocking pink.—
Verb
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She had never been arrested before and felt humiliated when her mugshot was plastered all over the news after her arrest.—
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She was humiliated when her oldest son was forced to testify in a divorce case.—
Verb
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Swastikas and other graffiti have been daubed on synagogues and other sites, and security has been heightened at Jewish schools.—
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Researchers expected the dogs to pay most attention to the cat doll, particularly when daubed with the feline scent.—
Verb
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The Boston City Council will start off the new year with a new president and a fresh face to replace disgraced former Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson.—
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In October, King Charles, 77, took the unprecedented step of stripping Andrew's princely style, titles and honors amid a resurgence of interest in Andrew's links to the late, disgraced Epstein.—
Verb
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Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months.—
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Dearborn has often been slandered for simply coexisting peacefully, because the truth is, some people are uncomfortable, and frankly upset about seeing church steeples and mosque domes share the same skyline on roads.—
Verb
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The law often renders women unprotected, maligned, and misunderstood.—
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Meanwhile, November polling by Data for Progress showed that Medicare-for-All, long maligned by critics as far-left and socialist, is backed by nearly two-thirds of voters, including a majority of independents and nearly half of Republicans.—
Verb
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Frank doesn’t mind having people killed for his agenda, but has avoided getting his hands stained with blood.—
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Cut the blanket into smaller pieces, avoiding areas that are worn, ripped, or stained, and turn them into pillow covers, tote bags, cushions, dog bedding, and more.—
Cite this Entry
“Smeared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smeared. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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