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Smear vs Sample - What's the difference?

smear | sample |

As a verb 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.

As an initialism sample is

(emergency medicine) initialism of signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, past pertinent history, last oral intake, events leading to present illness .

smear

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.
    • The artist smeared paint over the canvas in broad strokes.
  • To have a substance smeared on (a surface).
    • She smeared her lips with lipstick.
  • To damage someone's reputation by slandering, misrepresenting, or otherwise making false accusations about an individual, their statements, or their actions.
    • ''The opposition party attempted to smear the candidate by spreading incorrect and unverifiable rumors about their personal behavior.
  • To become spread by smearing.
    • The paint is still wet — don't touch it or it will smear .
  • To climb without using footholds, using the friction from the shoe to stay on the wall.

    • Synonyms

    * spread * (have a substance smeared on) coat, cover, layer

    Derived terms

    * smearer

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mark made by smearing.
    • This detergent cleans windows without leaving smears .
  • (medicine) A Pap smear.
    • I'm going to the doctor's this afternoon for a 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.

    • Synonyms

    * (mark) streak * (Pap smear) Pap smear, Pap test

    Derived terms

    * cervical smear * smear campaign * smear case

    Anagrams

    * * * * English ergative verbs

    sample

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A part of anything taken or presented for inspection, or shown as evidence of the quality of the whole; a specimen; as, goods are often purchased by samples.
    • "I design this but for a sample of what I hope more fully to discuss." -Woodward.
  • (statistics) A subset of a population selected for measurement, observation or questioning, to provide statistical information about the population.
    • "...it is possible it [the Anglo-Saxon race] might stand second to the Scandinavian countries [in average height] if a fair sample of their population were obtained." Francis Galton et al. (1883). Final Report of the Anthropometric Committee, Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, p. 269.
  • (cooking) a small piece of food for tasting, typically given away for free
  • (business) a small piece of some goods, for determining quality, colour, etc., typically given away for free
  • (music) Gratuitous borrowing of easily recognised phases (or moments) from other music (or movies) in a recording, used to emphasize a particular point by implying a certain context.
  • (obsolete) Example; pattern.
  • * Shakespeare
    • a sample to the youngest
  • * Fairfax
    • Thus he concludes, and every hardy knight / His sample followed.

    Synonyms

    * specimen * example

    Verb

  • To make or show something similar to; to match.
  • To take or to test a sample or samples of; as, to sample sugar, teas, wool, cloth.
  • (signal processing) To reduce a continuous signal (such as a sound wave) to a discrete signal.
  • To reuse a portion of (an existing sound recording) in a new song.

    • Anagrams

    *