Standard Lemma guide

bedaub

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /bɪˈdɔːb/
  • General-American: bĭ-dôb′
  • General-American: bē-dôb′
  • /bɪˈdɔb/ without the cot–caught merger
  • /biˈdɔb/ without the cot–caught merger
  • cot-caught-merger: /bɪˈdɑb/
  • cot-caught-merger: /biˈdɑb/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɔːb

1

verb

Meaning 1

To smear upon; to soil.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bedirty, befoul, sully, assoil, beclart, bedaub, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, begrime, beray, beshit, besmear, besmirch, besully, bewray, blacken, blot, blur, clat, contaminate, darken, defile, dirten, dirty, elt, file, foil, foul, gunk, gunk up, inquinate, scunge, sling mud, slotter, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, soss, sowl, spot, stain, sullow, tarnish, uggle

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To ornament garishly; to overdecorate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bedizen, gaud

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

spread or daub (a surface)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: besmear

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cover

History

Etymology

From be- (“thoroughly, extensively”) + daub, from Old French dauber (“to plaster, whitewash”), from Latin dealbō (“whiten over, plaster”).

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: изцапвам (izcapvam) — to smear upon; to soil
  • Ottoman Turkish: بولامق (bulamak) — to smear upon; to soil