smear

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

v. t. [be]daub, besmirch, smudge; grease, anoint, defame; slander; soil, sully. See covering.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. distortion, slander, put-up job*; see deception 1 , lie 1 , trick 1 .

v.

1. [To spread]

Syn. cover, coat, apply; see paint 2 , spread 4 .

2. [To slander]

Syn. defame, vilify, libel; see insult , slander .

3. [*To defeat]

Syn. beat, conquer, trounce; see defeat 2 , 3 .

4. [To dirty]

Syn. soil, spot, sully; see dirty .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. stain spot, smudge, blot, mark, splotch, smirch, streak.

2. slander defamation, mudslinging, denigration, slur, aspersion, character assassination, blot, stain, libel.

ANT.: 2. honor, praise, compliment

II

v.

1. stain spot, smudge, blot, mark, splotch, smirch, streak, dirty, daub, wipe on.

2. slander defame, mudsling, denigrate, cast aspersions, character assassinate, blot, stain, libel, drag one's name through the mud.

ANT.: 1. clean, wash, scrub. 2. honor, praise, commend

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I verb 1. To spread with a greasy, sticky, or dirty substance: bedaub, besmear, dab1, daub, plaster, smirch, smudge. See PUT ON. 2. To contaminate the reputation of: befoul, besmear, besmirch, bespatter, blacken, cloud, denigrate, dirty, smudge, smut, soil, spatter, stain, sully, taint, tarnish. Idioms: give a black eye to, sling (or throw) mud on. See ATTACK, CLEAN. 3. Slang. To render totally ineffective by decisive defeat: annihilate, crush, drub, overpower, overwhelm, smash, steamroller, thrash, trounce, vanquish. Informal: massacre, wallop. Slang: clobber, cream, shellac. See WIN. II noun 1. A discolored mark made by smearing: blot, blotch, daub, smirch, smudge, smutch, splotch, stain. See MARKS. 2. An attempt to destroy someone's reputation: mudslinging, smear campaign. See PRAISE.