Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To stain; sully.
  • transitive verb To make dirty; soil.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To soil; discolor, as with soot or mud; hence, to sully; obscure.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To smirch or soil; to discolor; to obscure. Hence: To dishonor; to sully.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To make dirty; to soil.
  • verb transitive To tarnish, especially someone's reputation; to debase.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb smear so as to make dirty or stained
  • verb charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From be- +‎ smirch.

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Examples

  • GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A warning from Michael Jackson's attorney to those who want to -- quote -- "besmirch" the king of pop's reputation.

    CNN Transcript Nov 26, 2003 2003

  • The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has disputed Mhlongo's testimony, saying he was being used to "besmirch" the ANC.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2000

  • The TRC's findings were also "capricious and arbitrary" and would "besmirch" the legitimate struggle against apartheid ..

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1998

  • Villa issued a statement on Wednesday accusing Sunderland of trying to "besmirch" the club's name, but the row shows few signs of abating as Bruce attempts to plug a gap made all the more sizeable by the news that loan signing Danny Welbeck has undergone surgery to repair a torn knee cartilage and will be sidelined for up to eight weeks.

    WalesOnline - Home 2011

  • Lashing out at critics trying to "besmirch" Tharoor by "presenting me as a proxy for him",

    Analysis 2010

  • Lashing out at critics trying to "besmirch" Mr. Tharoor by "presenting me as a proxy for him," Ms. Pushkar, whom the Minister was reportedly planning to marry, said it was "insulting for me as a woman and a friend."

    The Hindu - Front Page 2010

  • Lashing out at critics trying to "besmirch" Mr. Tharoor by "presenting me as a proxy for him," Ms. Pushkar, whom the Minister was reportedly planning to marry, said it was "insulting for me as a woman and a friend."

    The Hindu - Front Page 2010

  • Lashing out at critics trying to "besmirch" Tharoor by "presenting me as a proxy for him",

    Analysis 2010

  • Phil Spector, signaling a possible shift in tactics by the defense, which had promised not to "besmirch" slain actress Lana Clarkson.

    unknown title 2009

  • (BTW, Svalgaard delivers a very powerful rebuttal of the PU website so many EU proponents like to cite (it's 22nd June, 17:43:13, or search "besmirch": "The website is basically fraudulent in its claims and reflects the pseudo-science of its promoter.

    Do "Skeleton" Filaments Give Structure to the Universe? | Universe Today 2009

Comments

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  • ...with chocolate and phlegm

    besmirching their jowls in equal amounts.

    - Peter Reading, Ménage à Trois, from The Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery, 1976

    June 23, 2008