fin ‧ ger ‧ print /ˈfɪŋɡəˌprɪnt $ -ɡər-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
a mark made by the pattern of lines at the end of a person’s finger, which is used by the police to find out who has committed a crime:
His fingerprints were all over the gun.
He was careful not to leave any fingerprints.
The police questioned Beresford and took his fingerprints (=made a record of them) .
—fingerprint verb [transitive]
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THESAURUS
■ a dirty mark
▪ mark a dirty area on something that spoils its appearance:
The bark of the tree had made black marks on her trousers.
▪ spot a small mark on something:
a grease spot on my shirt
▪ stain a mark that is difficult to remove, especially one made by a dark liquid:
a wine stain on the tablecloth
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blood stains
▪ smudge a mark that is made when something touches against a surface:
There was a smudge of lipstick on his cheek.
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He had a smudge of chalk on his jacket.
▪ smear a mark that is made by a small amount of something spread across a surface:
The table had a smear of paint on the top.
▪ fingerprint ( also fingermark British English ) a mark on the surface of something that is made by someone’s fingers:
The glass was covered with greasy fingerprints.