From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsmudgesmudge1 /smʌdʒ/ noun [countable] MARKa dirty mark SYN smearsmudge of a smudge of lipstick on the cup► see thesaurus at mark —smudgy adjective
Examples from the Corpus
smudge• Ella had a smudge of green paint on her cheek.• Typically the fisherman is a lone black smudge hunched on his bait-box for hours at a time.• Over on the horizon there was a dark-blue smudge of land to be seen only in first clear light.• This rumor contains smudges of truth.• Sometimes a finger pressed over semi-wet paint will create a controlled smudge for distant branches.• Nothing on it, just a few smudges.• There was a lipstick smudge on the rim of my cup.• Suddenly a flock of all-dark shearwaters appeared, only the underwing showing a pale smudge.• It can invert, flip, rotate, scale, stretch, smudge and anything else you might want it to do.• You can't hand your homework in with those smudges all over it.• Purple lines floated on the surfaces of his eyes, coming briefly into focus, then retreating into vague smudges.smudgesmudge2 verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]MARK if ink, writing etc smudges, or if you smudge it, it becomes dirty and unclear because it has been touched or rubbed Don’t touch it! You’ll smudge the ink.2 [transitive]MARK to make a dirty mark on a surface Someone had smudged the paper with their greasy hands.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
smudge• The smoke of smelters and charcoal kilns smudged a sky that all down the pass had been a dark, serene blue.• Renille wiped at her eyes, smudging her makeup.• Which type to choose Waterproof Shouldn't smudge or run in water, but many do.• Water-resistant Won't smudge or run when touched and can be cleaned off with ordinary remover.• Carlos had a smudged repair manual propped open on the car's windshield. 