BESMIRCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does besmirch mean? 

• BESMIRCH (verb)
  The verb BESMIRCH has 2 senses:

1. charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

2. smear so as to make dirty or stained

  Familiarity information: BESMIRCH used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BESMIRCH (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they besmirch    ... he / she / it besmirches   
Past simple: besmirched   
Past participle: besmirched   
-ing form: besmirching   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

asperse; besmirch; calumniate; defame; denigrate; slander; smear; smirch; sully

Context example:

The article in the paper sullied my reputation

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

accuse; charge (blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against)

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

assassinate (destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation)

libel (print slanderous statements against)

badmouth; drag through the mud; malign; traduce (speak unfavorably about)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Smear so as to make dirty or stained

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

besmirch; smirch

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

smear (stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Love was too fine and noble, and he was too loyal a lover for him to besmirch love with criticism.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)