variants
or schmeer
plural schmears or schmeers
1
informal
: a group of related things
One false move and the whole schmear [=the entire thing, everything] will come crashing to the floor.—
Jeffrey L. Seglin
Jeffrey L. Seglin2
informal
: a layer of a spreadable food or condiment
He eats one virtually every day, 'round noon or 1 p.m., topped with the faintest schmear of peanut butter.—Mary Bilyeu
Mary Bilyeu
especially
: a layer of cream cheese
… the reverential tones that the Milanese reserve for a perfect risotto, or New Yorkers for a classic bagel with a schmear. —Jack Knox
Jack Knox While visiting New York a few years ago, Dan Winters popped into a bodega and ordered a plain with a schmear. The clerk just stared at him, and Winters, who spent four years in the city starting in the late 1980s, realized the guy had no idea what he was saying. Times had changed, even for breakfast. "No one said, 'Let me get a bagel with cream cheese,'" Winters says. "It was 'plain with a schmear.'" —Laura Mallonee
Laura Mallonee Examples of schmear in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The day’s top seller: the bacon, egg and cheddar sandwich with a scallion schmear.
—Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2025
They’re sold only in packs of three, six or a dozen, accompanied by one to two schmears.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2025
Middle Eastern dips, schmears and small plates meant to be shared with the table are widely featured.
—Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 10 May 2025
The schmears come in cream cheese flavors of plain, strawberry, lox, scallion, butter and whitefish, as well as tuna salad and egg salad.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for schmear
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Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2025
They’re sold only in packs of three, six or a dozen, accompanied by one to two schmears.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2025
Middle Eastern dips, schmears and small plates meant to be shared with the table are widely featured.
—Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 10 May 2025
The schmears come in cream cheese flavors of plain, strawberry, lox, scallion, butter and whitefish, as well as tuna salad and egg salad.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for schmear
Cite this Entry
“Schmear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schmear. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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