1
as in staining
to make dirty
a tablecloth daubed with too many spills to ignore any longer
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smearing
to rub an oily or sticky substance over
he begins his nightly transformation into a circus clown by daubing greasepaint on his face
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Recent Examples of daubing
But there is a distinction, Kutwala said, between flying flags from one’s own property and daubing paint across the town.
—
Olivia Kemp, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Olivia Kemp, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for daubing
Verb
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Studies have found that embarrassment around menstruation remains common, with many girls reporting anxiety about leaks, staining or being noticed by peers.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
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So, Navon and her husband undertook a full restoration, sanding and staining them a honey-oak hue that warms up the home from the ground up.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 2012, the gossip site Gawker, infamous for smearing conservative activists, published embarrassing footage of Hogan that had been secretly recorded and had no legitimate news value.—
George Harris,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
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The pigment lasts all day without smearing.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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These tungsten atoms would then condense on the slightly cooler inside of the glass bulb, blackening it and dimming the light over time.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In that time, the Blues have scored 28 times and conceded just two, painting a poor picture of what to expect from a Villa perspective this weekend.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
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Others got their hands dirty by planting trees, painting murals or picking up trash along park trails.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With the help of your Instant Pot, spaghetti and meatballs come together in under an hour without dirtying multiple dishes.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
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Keep them in reserve as a sleep sock to ward off icy toes and prevent sweat and skin oils from dirtying your down sleeping bag.—
Adam Roy,
Outside,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The sun is shining brighter, our days are a little longer, and the pollen is coating things as far as the eye can see.—
Joy Harden Bradford,
AJC.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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The inspector noticed an expired permit on the wall, a slime coating on the ice chute of the ice machine and disposable cups stored on the floor.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But now, with its Major League Baseball opening night rights, the streamer is messing with the wrong fan base.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
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Tulane’s other big contingent, activist investors, have been a bit defanged by AI, which is messing with companies’ strategies and their ability to credibly critique them.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Daubing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/daubing. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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