Synonyms for smear

Most common

1. Stain — to damage someone's reputation by slandering, misrepresenting, or otherwise making false accusations about…

2. Slur — to make something dirty

3. Daub — to cover (a surface with a layer of some substance) by rubbing

4. Smudge — to cause (something) to be messy or not clear by rubbing and spreading it

Other

spread, apply, anoint

1. Vilification

2. Streak — A mark made by smearing. A presentation of a sauce, purée or other food item, which is placed in a dollop and…

Other

mudslinging, rub, cervical smear, squash, cytosmear, stigma

v. 1
To cover (a surface with a layer of some substance) by rubbing.
She smeared her lips with lipstick.
v. 2
To make something dirty.
n. 1
A mark made by smearing. A presentation of a sauce, purée or other food item, which is placed in a dollop and spread across the plate.
n. 2
A mark made by smearing.
This detergent cleans windows without leaving smears.

Word family: smearer smeary
Phrases: cervical smear smear test blood smear marrow smear pap smear smear campaign

Plural: smears → vilifications, malignments, aspersions, defamations…
Past participle: smeared
e.g. smeared → stained, sullied, blotted, besmirched…

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

3 letters: rub¹
4 letters: spot¹, soil¹, coat¹, foil¹, blur¹, slur¹, blot¹, smut¹, daub¹
5 letters: cover², apply², dirty², layer², stain¹, libel², sully², uggle
6 letters: spread¹, streak¹, stigma², squash¹, darken², smudge¹, malign², defile, defame², smooch¹, anoint², swoosh¹, vilify³, blotch¹
7 letters: plaster², varnish², tarnish², blemish², pollute², blacken², calumny³, splotch, begrime, bedizen³
8 letters: disgrace², besmirch
9 letters: discredit³, denigrate³, disparage³, aspersion³, cytosmear
10 letters: defamation⁴, malignment
11 letters: contaminate⁴, mudslinging³
12 letters: vilification⁵
13 letters: disparagement

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (cover² = 2 syllables).