Smear with vs Smear

Both 'smear with' and 'smear' are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Smear with' is used when specifying the substance being applied, while 'smear' can stand alone without specifying the substance. The choice between them depends on whether you want to be specific about what is being smeared.

Last updated: March 24, 2024

Smear with

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when specifying the substance being applied during the smearing process.

Use 'smear with' when you want to specify the substance or material being applied during the smearing process. It adds clarity to the action being described.

Examples:

She smeared the bread with butter.
He smeared the walls with paint.
The chef smeared the sauce with a brush.
The artist smeared the canvas with colors.
They smeared the table with glue.

Show examples from the web [+]

Flood the smear with 8 % aqueous acetic acid.
Flood the smear with 8 % aqueous acetic acid and incubate for one minute at ambient temperature.
Flood the fixed smear with 0,3 % Sudan black B solution in 70 % ethanol.
Flood the fixed smear with 1 % aqueous solution of Nile blue A. Incubate for 10 minutes at 55 ºC.
Examine the stained smear with an epifluorescence microscope at 450 nm under oil immersion at a magnification of 1000.
Examine the stained smear with a light microscope using transmitted light under oil immersion at a magnification of 1000.
Examine the stained smear with an epifluorescence microscope at 450 nm under oil immersion at a magnification of 600 to 1000 using an oil- or water-immersion objective.
Pap smears with Dr. DePaul?
Examine stained smears with a light microscope using transmitted light under oil immersion at a magnification of 1000 using an oil-immersion objective.
Pablo and his lawyers went on the offense, trying to smear Lara with accusations.
They create anonymous websites about me, and smear me with a lot of garbage.
Is there anything in particular they could smear us with?
If we smear ourselves with them, perhaps we can pass through the tunnels undetected.
How dare they smear me with their campaigns!
Don't smear the mother with the fire sprinkler.
You take a replica vase, you smear it with yogurt, you let it soak in.
Smear: With this option, pixels vacated by displacement are replaced with pixels stretched from the adjacent part of the image.
Go carry them; and smear the sleepy grooms with blood.
In countries where culture is not routinely available, a case with sputum smear examinations positive for AFB is also considered to be a definite case.
She smears herself with paint, she rolls herself around... on a, on a piece of canvass - Paper.

Alternatives:

spread with
coat with
cover with
apply with
paint with

Smear

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when the substance being applied is implied or understood from the context.

Use 'smear' when the substance being applied is clear from the context or when you do not need to specify it. It is a more general term for the action of spreading something over a surface.