noun
Meaning 1
Dirt, or a stain.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
smirch
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.
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/smɜː(ɹ)t͡ʃ/
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rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
noun
Meaning 2
A stain on somebody's reputation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, countable, figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A chirp of radiation power from an astronomical body that has a smeared appearance on its plot in the time-frequency plane (usually associated with massive bodies orbiting supermassive black holes)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To dirty; to make dirty.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: besmirch, file, soil, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, befoul, begrime, beray, beshit, besmear, besully, bewray, blacken, blot, blur, clat, contaminate, darken, defile, dirten, dirty, elt, foil, foul, gunk, gunk up, inquinate, scunge, sling mud, slotter, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soss, sowl, spot, stain, sullow, sully, tarnish, uggle
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To harm the reputation of; to smear or slander.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, figuratively, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: besmirch, libel, muddy, abase, bring down to size, cut down to size, debase, defame, degrade, demean, demote, depress, discredit, disgrace, dishonour, disparage, downgrade, embase, give a bad name, humble, humiliate, knock down to size, put someone in their place, reduce, relegate, sink, slur, trim down to size, whittle down to size
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
an act that brings discredit to the person who does it
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he made a huge blot on his copybook
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: blot, smear, spot, stain
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mistake, error, fault
noun
Meaning 7
a blemish made by dirt
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he had a smudge on his cheek
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: smudge, spot, blot, daub, smear, slur
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: blemish, defect, mar
Narrower terms: blotch, splodge, splotch, fingermark, fingerprint, inkblot
verb
Meaning 8
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The journalists have defamed me!
- The article in the paper sullied my reputation
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: defame, slander, asperse, denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully, besmirch
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: charge, accuse
Narrower terms: assassinate, libel, badmouth, malign, traduce, drag through the mud
verb
Meaning 9
smear so as to make dirty or stained
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: besmirch
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: smear
History
Etymology
From Middle English *smorchen ("to spatter, soil"; attested in besmorchid (“bespattered, soiled all over”)), of uncertain origin. Perhaps a derivative of Middle English smeoren, smuren, smeren (“to smear”) or related to Middle English smotry (“sooty, grimy”). Compare also Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”), Old French esmorcher (“to torture”), Middle English smoterly, smoterlich (“besmirched”), modern English smut.
Blend of smear + chirp.
Across languages
Translations
16 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Czech: skvrna — dirt, stain
- Bulgarian: изцапвам (izcapvam) — to dirty
- Bulgarian: опетнявам (opetnjavam) — to dirty
- Czech: špinit — to dirty
- Dutch: vuil maken — to dirty
- French: salir — to dirty
- Galician: ensuciar — to dirty
- Galician: manchar — to dirty
- Galician: lixar — to dirty
- German: beschmutzen — to dirty
- German: verschmutzen — to dirty
- Russian: пятна́ть (pjatnátʹ) — to dirty
- Russian: мара́ть (marátʹ) — to dirty
- Spanish: ensuciar — to dirty
- Ukrainian: плямити (pljamyty) — to dirty
- Ukrainian: зама́рувати (zamáruvaty) — to dirty