besmirch

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: be=smirch

CIDE DICTIONARY

besmirch, v. t. 

 To smirch or soil; to discolor; to obscure. Hence: To dishonor; to sully.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

besmirch, v.tr.
1 soil, discolour.
2 dishonour; sully the reputation or name of.

Etymology

BE- + SMIRCH

THESAURUS

besmirch

attaint, bedarken, bedaub, besmear, besmoke, besmutch, besoil, bespatter, bestain, black, blacken, blackwash, blot, blotch, blur, brand, call names, charcoal, cork, darken, daub, defile, denigrate, dinge, dirty, discolor, ebonize, engage in personalities, heap dirt upon, ink, mark, melanize, muckrake, murk, nigrify, oversmoke, revile, scorch, sear, shade, shadow, singe, slubber, slur, smear, smirch, smoke, smouch, smudge, smut, smutch, soil, soot, spot, stain, stigmatize, sully, taint, tar, tarnish, throw mud at, vilify