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Synonyms

bespatter

American  
[bih-spat-er] / bɊˈspÃĶt ər /

verb (used with object)

  1. to soil by spattering; splash with water, dirt, etc.

  2. to slander or libel.

    a reputation bespattered by malicious gossip.


bespatter British  
/ bɊˈspÃĶtə /

verb

  1. to splash all over, as with dirty water

  2. to defile; slander; besmirch

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bespatter

First recorded in 1635–45; be- + spatter


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Jawp, to throw water upon a person, to bespatter.

From The Proverbs of Scotland by Alexander Hislop

I could have done nothing for you but bespatter you with the mire in which I wallowed, and I wanted you, my beautiful one—my pearl, my lily—to be spotless as mountain snow.

From The Unseen Bridgegroom or, Wedded For a Week by May Agnes Fleming

He was a proud man, who must hate standing by helplessly, holding the supreme office in Orvieto, watching the two great families bespatter his city with blood.

From The Saracen: The Holy War by Robert Shea

As Stars may without Pillories dispence, To slit some Ears for Forgeries of sense, Which Princes, Nobles, and the Fame of Men, Sought to bespatter by a worthless Pen.

From Anti-Achitophel (1682) Three Verse Replies to Absalom and Achitophel by John Dryden by Harold Whitmore Jones

Befoam, be-fōm′, v.t. to bespatter or cover with foam.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

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