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
The restaurant sources its birotes from Duran’s to make the open-face, bean and cheese-smeared breakfast sandwiches popular throughout Mexico.
—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2026
By the end of the debate, about 150 men dressed in Indigenous costumes, their faces smeared with soot, stormed to a nearby wharf and dumped a literal boatload of tea into the water.
—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
The costume—doofy top hat, smeared white paint—suggested full commitment to the bit.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
18 June 2026
Blood smeared the surface of the octagon.
—
Oskar Garcia,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
Over in the next aisle, Gifty Anderson, who typically buys bales from Canada and the United Kingdom, held up a dress smeared with body makeup and tossed it aside without a second thought.
—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
8 June 2026
The dog couldn’t go in her room so soon after her transplant, so Aspen dabbed colors on a small canvas and handed it to Scott, who put it in a plastic bag and smeared peanut butter on top.
—
Laura Ungar,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
His windshield is smeared with the dust of a lengthy road journey.
—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Cara Mangini spoons these luscious tomatoes over crostini that she's smeared with goat cheese or ricotta, then tops each with extra basil.
—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
21 May 2026
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2026
By the end of the debate, about 150 men dressed in Indigenous costumes, their faces smeared with soot, stormed to a nearby wharf and dumped a literal boatload of tea into the water.
—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
The costume—doofy top hat, smeared white paint—suggested full commitment to the bit.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
18 June 2026
Blood smeared the surface of the octagon.
—
Oskar Garcia,
New York Times,
15 June 2026
Over in the next aisle, Gifty Anderson, who typically buys bales from Canada and the United Kingdom, held up a dress smeared with body makeup and tossed it aside without a second thought.
—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
8 June 2026
The dog couldn’t go in her room so soon after her transplant, so Aspen dabbed colors on a small canvas and handed it to Scott, who put it in a plastic bag and smeared peanut butter on top.
—
Laura Ungar,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
His windshield is smeared with the dust of a lengthy road journey.
—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Cara Mangini spoons these luscious tomatoes over crostini that she's smeared with goat cheese or ricotta, then tops each with extra basil.
—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
21 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smeared
Verb
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Its muscular composite and Kevlar exterior is finished in a glossy, factory-correct shade of Rosso Corsa, though the car did spend a few years, toward the beginning of its life, painted silver, according to the listing.
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However, those images from the Superdome painted a picture of how recovery and adaptive capacity are so strongly tied to economic capacity, history, and education.
Verb
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Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.
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The novel follows 16-year-old Abby, who is left humiliated after a private photo gets shared around school.
Verb
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Add chicken, pineapple, pecans, celery, and scallions; fold until evenly coated.
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Dust coated coastal communities.
Verb
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Getty Images Six years after disgraced former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn escaped Japan by private jet, hidden inside an audio equipment case, few expected his name to dominate another Nissan shareholders' meeting.
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Among the guests were Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as the daughters of Sarah Ferguson and disgraced ex-Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie.
Verb
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One of them, at the centre of a group outside Ex Convento del Carmen, has been thickly daubed with red paint, as if to look like blood.
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The calming design from Japanese architect Kengo Kuma instils a sense of peace, complemented by the villas’ light wood and white color scheme that’s daubed with splashes of ocean blues.
Verb
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Now, the ultimate question of whether Walters slandered Miller will return to the district court.
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Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months.
Verb
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If your clothing is stained from fabric softener, rinse the spot in the warmest water recommended for the garment.
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Semi-sheer, marbled accent nails look like they’ve been stained with blackberry juice.
Verb
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Trump had already maligned the people of that country while on the campaign trail, and his promise of a Muslim travel ban would hit Somalia too.
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Trump has repeatedly maligned Haitian immigrants, including falsely accusing Haitians living in Ohio of eating people’s pets.
Cite this Entry
“Smeared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smeared. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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