What does besmear mean?
Besmear is a transitive verb meaning to cover something thoroughly with a sticky, greasy, or otherwise unpleasant substance. It combines the prefix be-, indicating thorough coverage, with the ancient Germanic root smear, making it essentially an intensified form of that everyday word. The verb is most often used literally — walls besmeared with mud, hands besmeared with paint — but it also appears figuratively, particularly when someone's reputation is said to have been besmeared by slander or scandal. In tone it leans literary and slightly old-fashioned; modern speakers more commonly reach for simpler verbs such as smear, daub, or cover. Its negative connotations make it well suited to descriptions of vandalism, grime, or moral stain. A useful cousin is besmirch, which has narrowed almost entirely to the figurative sense of damaging a reputation, leaving besmear free to handle the literal, physical messes.
verbTo spread a sticky, dirty, or unpleasant substance over something, typically so as to cover or defile it.
- To cover or coat something with a sticky, greasy, or messy substance.
- To defile or sully something, literally or figuratively.
"The vandals besmeared the monument with paint overnight."
"Her hands were besmeared with clay after an afternoon at the potter's wheel."
"Critics accused the tabloid of attempting to besmear the senator's reputation."
"Besmear" pairs an Old English workhorse root with a prefix meaning "all over" — turning a simple smear into total, deliberate coverage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of besmear
Besmear derives from Middle English, formed from the prefix be- (indicating thoroughness or coverage) attached to smere, the Old English ancestor of modern "smear." The underlying root is ancient Germanic, related to words for grease and ointment, and cognate with forms in other Germanic languages such as Dutch smeren and German schmieren. The figurative sense of sullying a reputation developed alongside the literal one, though the closely related besmirch now dominates that figurative territory.
How besmear is actually used
Somewhat formal or literary in register; in everyday speech, plain "smear" or "cover with" is more common. Often carries a negative connotation of mess or defilement, and can be used figuratively for reputations.
Easily confused with besmear
To besmirch means to sully someone's reputation or character figuratively, while besmear means to physically cover something with a sticky or dirty substance.