stain 1 of 2

verb

ˈstān How to pronounce stain (audio)
Definition of stainnext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to paint
to give color or a different color to stained the table to look like cherry

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to dirty
to make dirty oil stained his work pants

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stain

2 of 2

noun

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pigment
a substance used to color other materials applied several coats of stain to the wood

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stain
Verb
Bookshelves are crammed with novels and almanacs, the wood boards of the ceilings stained dark in delicious contrast to the clean white walls and creamy linen furnishings. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 The yellow color from the fenbendazole stained his white goatee. — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
In the backyard of the home, directly outside Douglas Herlihy’s bedroom window, the police found carpet and carpet padding with blood stains. — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Others have used it to remove oily stains from their toddlers like crayon marks on carpet, and one reviewer says it’s saved many of their clothes from being ruined in a household with unavoidable messes from both kids and pets. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stain
  1. taint
  2. paint
  3. dirty
  4. blot
  5. pigment
  6. mar
  7. color
  8. blacken
Verb
  • Or has dance music’s bad rap — as fun but vacuous and unserious — tainted the current version of the genre?
    — Rachel Narozniak, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2026
  • That means if the sewage system backs up, the sink could be tainted.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of taint
Verb
  • The coffin is painted bright green and black, to represent the logo colors for the haunted house.
    — Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Newsom’s critics have long tried to paint the governor as lax on crime as concerns about homelessness and petty crime reached a fever pitch during the pandemic as videos of public smash-and-grabs in cities like San Francisco went viral.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of paint
Verb
  • To even wade into the arguments might dirty your hands, and mind.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Satisfy your lasagna craving without dirtying up a pile of dishes.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 9 July 2026
Definition of dirty
Noun
  • Remove the wings from the refrigerator and blot away any visible moisture with paper towels.
    — Monti Carlo, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Act+Acre Microfiber Hair Towel Act+Acre’s popular flat towel comes with instructions for a specific technique —blot and squeeze, no rubbing.
    — Valeriya Chupinina, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of blot
Noun
  • Its Gallery 3 technology uses colored pigments that move to form the image.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Allure notes that clients can get their freckle tattoos touched up as the pigment fades.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of pigment
Verb
  • Possible char marks from a fire or damage from another source have marred the floor of a classroom at the modern but vacant public school campus at 1215 Miramar Street, on the edge of downtown.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The election process was marred by allegations of voter suppression, with Lula's campaign reporting suspended public transportation in some key areas, prompting the court to extend voting by two hours.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of mar
Verb
  • The team revised Rotta’s face and coloring to bring him closer to Jabba while refining his muscular physique.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • And its milk chocolate gems are like M&M’s but colored with real foods like beet juice and spirulina.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of color
Verb
  • As the balloon and its occupants fell to the ground, the nylon envelope and the gondola separated, and the wreckage scattered over a roughly 100-yard area, parts of it blackened by the explosion and resulting fire.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The shrinking process had exaggerated some features, vanished others, and blackened the flesh.
    — Daniel Barnum, Longreads, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of blacken

Browse Nearby Words

staidness
stain
stained
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Cite this Entry

“Stain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stain. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stain

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