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# smear

verb (smear, smears, smeared, smearing); noun (a smear, smears)

«smear» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To spread something soft, sticky or oily over a surface, often messily. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#m1)
2. (noun) A dirty mark made by something rubbed on a surface. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#m2)
3. To make a mark blurry by rubbing, like smudging ink. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#m3)
4. To spread false or unfair stories to damage someone's good name: «a smear campaign». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#m4)
5. (medicine) A small sample of cells taken on a slide for testing; in the UK a «smear test» is a health check for grown-up women. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#m5)

### In the lessons

In everyday life you smear butter on toast or jam on your face; in art you smear paint with a finger. In science, a smear of cells on a slide is looked at under a microscope. In news and media lessons, a «smear» is a false attack on someone, linked to fake news and propaganda.

### Examples

- She smeared butter on her toast. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#x1)
- There was a smear of chocolate on his cheek. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#x2)
- Don't touch the wet paint, or you'll smear it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#x3)
- The window was covered in greasy smears. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#x4)
- The politician said the story was a smear. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#x5)
- Mum went to the doctor for a routine smear test. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#x6)
- We put a smear of pond water on a slide and looked at it under the microscope. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#x7)
- The Flies were quickly smeared from head to foot with honey. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/#x8)

### Note

Regular verb; noun countable. «Smear» and «smudge» are similar; smudging is usually ink or pencil. A «smear campaign» is not a cleaning plan; it is spreading lies about someone.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «smear» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/smear/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«smear» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/smear.html) on Mova free.