I. smudge 1 /smʌdʒ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
a dirty mark SYN smear
smudge of
a smudge of lipstick on the cup
—smudgy adjective
• • •
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.
II. smudge 2 BrE AmE verb
1 . [intransitive and transitive] if ink, writing etc smudges, or if you smudge it, it becomes dirty and unclear because it has been touched or rubbed:
Don’t touch it! You’ll smudge the ink.
2 . [transitive] to make a dirty mark on a surface:
Someone had smudged the paper with their greasy hands.