/ smɪə(r); NAmE smɪr/ verb , noun
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] smear sth on / over sth | smear sth with sth to spread an oily or soft substance over a surface in a rough or careless way
SYN daub :
The children had smeared mud on the walls.
The children had smeared the walls with mud.
➡ note at mark
2.
[ vn ] to make sth dirty or greasy :
His glasses were smeared.
smeared windows
3.
[ vn ] to damage sb's reputation by saying unpleasant things about them that are not true
SYN slander :
The story was an attempt to smear the party leader.
4.
to rub writing, a drawing, etc. so that it is no longer clear; to become not clear in this way
SYN smudge :
[ vn ]
The last few words of the letter were smeared.
[also v ]
■ noun
1.
an oily or dirty mark :
a smear of jam
2.
a story that is not true about sb that is intended to damage their reputation, especially in politics :
He was a victim of a smear campaign .
3.
( BrE ) = smear test
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English smierwan (verb), smeoru ointment, grease , of Germanic origin; related to German schmieren (verb), Schmer (noun).