Library / English Dictionary

SMUDGE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A blemish made by dirt

Example:

he had a smudge on his cheek

Synonyms:

blot; daub; slur; smear; smirch; smudge; spot

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("smudge" is a kind of...):

blemish; defect; mar (a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "smudge"):

blotch; splodge; splotch (an irregularly shaped spot)

fingermark; fingerprint (a smudge made by a (dirty) finger)

inkblot (a blot made with ink)

Derivation:

smudge (make a smudge on; soil by smudging)

smudgy (smeared with something that soils or stains; these words are often used in combination)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A smoky fire to drive away insects

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("smudge" is a kind of...):

fire (the event of something burning (often destructive))

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make a smudge on; soil by smudging

Synonyms:

blur; smear; smudge; smutch

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "smudge" is one way to...):

rub (move over something with pressure)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "smudge"):

resmudge (smudge again)

dust (rub the dust over a surface so as to blur the outlines of a shape)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence examples:

The children smudge the paper with grease

The children smudge grease onto the paper

Derivation:

smudge (a blemish made by dirt)

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