smudge Hear it!

smudge Definition

smudge (smuj)

noun

  1. a stain, blur, or smear; dirty spot
    1. a fire made to produce dense smoke
    2. such smoke produced by burning a material in containers (smudge pots), esp. for driving away insects or protecting plants from frost

Etymology: Early ModE, prob. < the v.

transitive verb smudged, smudg·ing

  1. to protect (an orchard, etc.) with smudge
  2. to make dirty; soil; smutch

Etymology: ME smogen, akin to Du smotsen, to besmirch: for IE base see smut

intransitive verb

  1. to blur or smear
  2. to become smudged

smudge Synonyms

smudge

n.

smirch, spot, soiled spot; see blemish.

smudge Usage Examples

Object

  • ink: This reduces the chances of me smudging the ink.
  • line: This will prevent you from smudging lines on the silk.
  • work: I constantly smudge the work I've just written, leaving my writing looking sloppy.
  • boundary: And so they are scandalized when Jesus tramples over their carefully drawn lines, smudges the boundaries, and leaves them in confusion.
  • eyeliner: There are Goth bands clad in black with smudged eyeliner freshly raided from their mother's drawers.

Converse of object

  • leave: Take care not to leave smudges on the answer sheet.
  • see: A little lower in the sky you should see a second smudge of light.
  • have: I ALWAYS have a smudge down the whole side of my left hand whenever writing.

Adjective modifier

  • faint: There was a faint smudge of scarlet below the pressure lock.
  • dark: Dale Fort headland: note the dark smudge along the splash zone.
  • black: He has a pink nose with a black smudge on one side.
  • gray: Here, in gray smudges in the gravel spanning five millennia, is the essence of Heathrow's story.

Modifies a noun

  • stick: Powder & stick incense, charcoal, herbs & resins, smudge sticks, magical oils.

Modifying Another Word

  • easily: Dot matrix or inkjet printers are not really good enough and the ink from an inkjet tends to smudge fairly easily.
  • not: Write & Rub Demo 6 You can apply the glitter with your finger as the adhesive is dry and will not smudge.
  • n't: Its ink dries much faster than fountain pen ink does, so the letters wo n't smudge any more while you're writing.
  • always: Erm... I'm always smudging everything I write.

Noun used with modifier

  • voila: Black professional phil voila smudges appeared seems to have had no encounter.
  • ink: His writing has become untidy and he always seems to get an ink smudge up the side of his hand.

Preposition: of

  • light: A little lower in the sky you should see a second smudge of light.
smudge Quotes

The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out like shining from shook foil† Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wearsman'ssmudgeand sharesman'ssmell: thesoil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

—Hopkins, SirAnthony

Browse dictionary entries near smudge

  1. SMTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
  2. SMTP
  3. SMSC
  4. SMS
  5. SMR
  6. smoulder
  7. smothered
  8. smother
  9. smote
  10. smorzando
  1. smudgy
  2. smug
  3. smuggle
  4. smuggler
  5. smuggling
  6. Smurf
  7. smush
  8. smut
  9. smutch
  10. Smuts