1
as in to taint
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
her poor choice of companions stained her reputation somewhat
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2
as in to paint
to give color or a different color to
stained the table to look like cherry
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3
as in to dirty
to make dirty
oil stained his work pants
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1
as in blot
a mark of guilt or disgrace
the stain of this cowardly act would haunt him for the rest of his career
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of stain
Emma Bubola, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2024
Clothes with Greasy, Oily, or Waxy Stains Clothing and other washable fabrics, such as cloth napkins, stained by something oily, greasy, or waxy should be washed in the hottest water setting the fabric can tolerate.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2024
Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024
That’s a stain that won’t wash away from this would-be American oligarch no matter who wins.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stain 
Verb
The name Ruby became the catchall reference for the scandal, which stained the country’s image abroad.
—Emma Bubola, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2024
Clothes with Greasy, Oily, or Waxy Stains Clothing and other washable fabrics, such as cloth napkins, stained by something oily, greasy, or waxy should be washed in the hottest water setting the fabric can tolerate.
—Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2024
Noun
Scrub The Sink Shampoo’s grease-tackling prowess isn’t limited to kitchen grease stains.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2024
That’s a stain that won’t wash away from this would-be American oligarch no matter who wins.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stain
Verb
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Eight years have passed since the 2016 U.S. election was tainted with disinformation attributed to Moscow, and the government has not found a way to deter this kind of meddling.Simon Shuster, TIME, 2 Nov. 2024
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There has been a rash of foodborne illnesses reported of late caused by food products potentially tainted with bacteria such as listeria, salmonella and E. coli bacteria.Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 26 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Before installing, paint the plastic Ceiling White to give it a more matte texture.Helen Havlak, The Verge, 29 Nov. 2024
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To paint, or not to paint:Painting yourself green to see 'Wicked' in theaters?Anika Reed, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Instead, Walz seems to have little to say about factory farming dirtying the state’s waterways.Kenny Torrella, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Garments can be dirtied again by the elements if air-dried outside.Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 July 2024
Noun
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For machine-washable cloth, blot excess liquids and scrape off (don’t rub) food residue.Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Nov. 2024
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First, blot as much of the area as possible when something spills to remove excess moisture.Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Within species, color variations are found throughout the animal kingdom, including melanistic animals with more dark pigmentation and leucistic animals with a reduction of pigment.Elizabeth Carlen, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024
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Related Articles The capsule collection will feature the vegan revamp of its classic Himmel Shopper tote in two sizes and the black colorway, which uses plant and mineral pigments.Rhonda Richford, WWD, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
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July 29 - Protests break out in several Venezuelan cities after Nicolas Maduro is formally declared the winner by the county’s electoral authority in a presidential race marred by accusations of electoral fraud.CNN, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
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Anchoring Friday evening, Happy’s Place on NBC is averaging 4.6 million viewers and a 0.4 rating among adults 18-49 (with DVR usage), according to Nielsen, which on an evening marred by low HUT (household using television) levels is considered a winner.Marc Berman, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Wayfair’s coloring tablecloth has Christmas decor to color and other fun games like word searches.Christopher Murray, Fox News, 8 Nov. 2024
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Many of the interiors within this volume are exclusive to its pages and celebrate the firm’s expert eye, appealing to color, texture, and client preference in the most unexpected niches.Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Characters like Felix and Oswald have kind of an unfortunate connection to theater insofar as they’re associated with blackface minstrelsy—the notoriously racist form of stage performance where actors would blacken their faces, wear white gloves, and perform clownish antics.Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2024
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Eventually, Dad needed to referee, settling disputes and trying to end things before noses were bloodied and eyes were blackened.Chad Graff, The Athletic, 12 Aug. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Stain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stain. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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