Deface vs Smear - What's the difference?
deface | smear |
To damage something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner.
* 1869:
To void or devalue; to nullify or degrade the face value.
* 1776:
(heraldry, flags) To alter a coat of arms or a flag by adding an element to it.
To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.
To have a substance smeared on (a surface).
To damage someone's reputation by slandering, misrepresenting, or otherwise making false accusations about an individual, their statements, or their actions.
To become spread by smearing.
To climb without using footholds, using the friction from the shoe to stay on the wall.
A mark made by smearing.
(medicine) A Pap smear.
A false attack.
A maneuver in which the shoe is placed onto the holdless rock, and the friction from the shoe keeps it in contact
A rough glissando in jazz music.
As verbs the difference between deface and smear
is that deface is to damage something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner while smear is to spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.As a noun smear is
a mark made by smearing.deface
English
Verb
(defac)- That wondrous frame where melody began / Lay as a tomb defaced that no eye cared to scan.
- He defaced the I.O.U. notes by scrawling "void" over them.
- One-and-twenty worn and defaced' shillings, however, were considered as equivalent to a guinea, which perhaps, indeed, was worn and ' defaced too, but seldom so much so.
- You get the Finnish state flag by defacing the national flag with the state coat of arms placed in the middle of the cross.
Synonyms
* (damage in a conspicuous way ): disfigure, mar, obliterate, scar, vandalize * (degrade the face value ): cancel, devalue, nullify, voidDerived terms
* defacementSee also
* effacesmear
English
Verb
(en verb)- The artist smeared paint over the canvas in broad strokes.
- She smeared her lips with lipstick.
- ''The opposition party attempted to smear the candidate by spreading incorrect and unverifiable rumors about their personal behavior.
- The paint is still wet — don't touch it or it will smear .
Synonyms
* spread * (have a substance smeared on) coat, cover, layerDerived terms
* smearerNoun
(en noun)- This detergent cleans windows without leaving smears .
- I'm going to the doctor's this afternoon for a smear .