- besmirch
- transitive verb Date: 1599 sully, soil
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
besmirch
Look at other dictionaries:
Besmirch — Be*smirch , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Besmirched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Besmirching}.] To smirch or soil; to discolor; to obscure. Hence: To dishonor; to sully. Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
besmirch — index brand (stigmatize), contemn, defame, denigrate, denounce (condemn), derogate, discredit … Law dictionary
besmirch — (v.) 1590s, from BE (Cf. be ) + SMIRCH (Cf. smirch). Our Gayness and our Gilt are all besmyrcht. [ Henry V, IV.iii.110] Related: Besmirched; besmirching … Etymology dictionary
besmirch — smirch, dirty, sully, *soil, foul, befoul, grime, begrime, tarnish Analogous words: *spot, spatter, sprinkle Antonyms: cleanse … New Dictionary of Synonyms
besmirch — ► VERB 1) damage (someone s reputation). 2) literary make dirty; soil … English terms dictionary
besmirch — [bē smʉrch′, bismʉrch′] vt. [ BE + SMIRCH] 1. to make dirty; soil 2. to bring dishonor to; sully … English World dictionary
besmirch — [[t]bɪsmɜ͟ː(r)tʃ[/t]] besmirches, besmirching, besmirched VERB If you besmirch someone or their reputation, you say that they are a bad person or that they have done something wrong, usually when this is not true. [LITERARY] [V n] Lawyers can… … English dictionary
besmirch — UK [bɪˈsmɜː(r)tʃ] / US [bɪˈsmɜrtʃ] verb [transitive] Word forms besmirch : present tense I/you/we/they besmirch he/she/it besmirches present participle besmirching past tense besmirched past participle besmirched formal to harm the good… … English dictionary
besmirch — besmircher, n. /bi smerrch /, v.t. 1. to soil; tarnish; discolor. 2. to detract from the honor or luster of: to besmirch someone s good name. [1590 1600; BE + SMIRCH] Syn. 2. stain, tarnish, soil, blacken, dishonor, discredit, sully, besmear. * * … Universalium
besmirch — verb /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ,bɪˈsmɝːtʃ/ a) To make dirty; to soil. The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor. b) To tarnish, especially someones reputation; to debase … Wiktionary
besmirch — be|smirch [bıˈsmə:tʃ US ə:rtʃ] v [T] [Date: 1600 1700; Origin: smirch to make dirty (15 20 centuries), perhaps from Old French esmorcher to torture ] literary besmirch sb s honour/reputation to spoil the good opinion that people have of someone … Dictionary of contemporary English
