Stain - English meaning

verb

Make dirty; pollute.

Usage examples:

The dangers of letting industry befoul the environment

verb

Make or become black or dark, especially as a result of burning, decay, or bruising.

Usage examples:

Stone blackened by the soot of ages

verb

To make something black

Usage examples:

For miles around, trees were blackened by the fire.

noun

A small mark or flaw which spoils the appearance of something.

Usage examples:

The girl's hands were without a blemish

verb

Spoil the appearance or quality of (something).

Usage examples:

His reign as world champion has been blemished by controversy

noun

A mark or fault that spoils the appearance of someone or something

Usage examples:

Makeup can cover up your skin blemishes., only one blemish spoiled her school record.

noun

A large irregular patch or unsightly mark on the skin or another surface.

Usage examples:

Red blotches on her face

verb

Cover with blotches.

Usage examples:

Her face was blotched and swollen with crying

noun

An unwanted mark on a surface that is different from the surrounding area

Usage examples:

There were red blotches on her face and neck.

noun

The property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light.

Usage examples:

The lights flickered and changed colour

verb

Pigmentation of the skin, especially as an indication of someone's race.

Usage examples:

Discrimination on the basis of colour

noun

Red, blue, green, yellow, etc.

Usage examples:

What's your favourite colour?, she wears a lot of bright colours., what colour are your eyes?, in a…

noun

A substance that is used to add colour or change the colour of something

Usage examples:

Colourants that are commonly added to food, hair colourant

verb

Make (something) impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance.

Usage examples:

The site was found to be contaminated by radioactivity

verb

To make something less pure or make it poisonous

Usage examples:

The disease can be caused by a variety of viruses, bacteria, and other small organisms that contami…

verb

To make something less pure or make it poisonous

Usage examples:

The government recently reported that 10% of farmland has been destroyed by pollution and that heav…

verb

Damage the purity or appearance of; mar or spoil.

Usage examples:

The land was defiled by a previous owner

noun

A steep-sided narrow gorge or passage (originally one requiring troops to march in single file).

Usage examples:

The twisting track wormed its way up a defile to level ground

verb

(of troops) march in single file.

Usage examples:

We emerged after defiling through the mountainsides

noun

A substance, such as mud or dust, that soils someone or something.

Usage examples:

Jo wiped the dirt off her face

noun

Earth or a substance like it that has gotten on the surface of something such as your skin

Usage examples:

I sat on the ground and got dirt on my pants., after the rain, the woods smelled of wet dirt and gr…

adjective

Covered or marked with an unclean substance.

Usage examples:

A tray of dirty cups and saucers

adverb

Used for emphasis.

Usage examples:

A dirty great slab of stone

verb

Make dirty.

Usage examples:

She didn't like him dirtying her nice clean towels

verb

Change or cause to change to a different, less attractive colour.

Usage examples:

Do not over-knead the dough or it will discolour

verb

To (cause something to) change from the original colour and therefore to look unpleasant

Usage examples:

The fire had discoloured the paintwork.

noun

A natural or synthetic substance used to add a colour to or change the colour of something.

Usage examples:

Blonde hair dye

verb

Add a colour to or change the colour of (something) by soaking it in a solution impregnated with a dye.

Usage examples:

I dyed my hair blonde

adjective

Offensive to the senses, especially through having a disgusting smell or taste or being dirty.

Usage examples:

A foul odour

noun

(in sport) an unfair or invalid stroke or piece of play, especially one involving interference with an opponent.

Usage examples:

The midfielder was booked for a foul on ford

adverb

Contrary to the rules; unfairly.

Usage examples:

That's the real problem: even guys who want to play fair are under pressure from cheaters to play f…

verb

Baffle or deceive (someone).

Usage examples:

The abbreviation foxed me completely

noun

Discoloration of the paper of old books or prints with brown spots.

Usage examples:

A few tiny blotches of foxing mainly confined to outer-edge of frontispiece

verb

Present participle of fox

Usage examples:

This puzzle has well and truly foxed me!

noun

Dirt ingrained on the surface of something.

Usage examples:

The windows were thick with grime

verb

Blacken or make dirty with grime.

Usage examples:

The windows were grimed like a coal miner's goggles

noun

A layer of dirt on skin or a building

Usage examples:

The building is covered with grime., a grimy face

noun

A small area on a surface having a different colour from its surroundings, typically one caused by damage or dirt.

Usage examples:

The blow left a red mark down one side of her face

verb

Make a visible impression or stain on.

Usage examples:

He fingered the photograph gently, careful not to mark it

noun

(until the introduction of the euro in 2002) the basic monetary unit of germany, equal to 100 pfennig; a deutschmark.

Usage examples:

Germany spent billions of marks to save the french franc from speculators

adjective

Covered in or full of mud.

Usage examples:

They changed their muddy boots

verb

Cover or fill (something) with mud.

Usage examples:

The linoleum flooring was muddied

adjective

Covered by or containing mud (= wet, sticky earth)

Usage examples:

Don't bring those muddy boots inside!, muddy water, the room has been painted in muddy browns and g…

noun

A coloured substance which is spread over a surface and dries to leave a thin decorative or protective coating.

Usage examples:

A tin of paint

verb

Cover the surface of (something) with paint.

Usage examples:

The ceiling was painted dark grey

noun

A colored liquid that is put on a surface to protect or decorate it

Usage examples:

[ c ] acrylic/oil paints, [ u ] we need some white paint for the kitchen., [ i ] she always loved t…

noun

The natural colouring matter of animal or plant tissue.

Usage examples:

Carotenoid pigments are red, orange, or yellow

verb

Colour (something) with or as if with pigment.

Usage examples:

The therapy masks the appearance of stretch marks by pigmenting skin

noun

A natural substance that produces color in animals and plants, such as of skin, hair, and leaves

verb

Contaminate (water, the air, etc.) with harmful or poisonous substances.

Usage examples:

The explosion polluted the town with dioxin

Contaminate; make impure

verb

To make air, water, or earth dirty or harmful to people, animals, and plants, esp. by adding harmful chemicals or waste

Usage examples:

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are polluting the groundwater., maybe there’s some kind of chem…

noun

Comparative darkness and coolness caused by shelter from direct sunlight.

Usage examples:

Sitting in the shade

verb

Screen from direct light.

Usage examples:

She shaded her eyes against the sun

noun

Darkness and cooler temperatures caused by something blocking the direct light from the sun

Usage examples:

[ u ] the truck was parked in the shade., [ c ] the lamps had matching shades., he painted the room…

verb

Coat or mark (something) messily or carelessly with a greasy or sticky substance.

Usage examples:

His face was smeared with dirt

noun

A mark or streak of a greasy or sticky substance.

Usage examples:

There was an oil smear on his jacket

verb

Smudge or soil by smudging

verb

Cause (something) to become messily smeared by rubbing it.

Usage examples:

She dabbed her eyes, careful not to smudge her make-up

noun

A blurred or smeared mark on the surface of something.

Usage examples:

A smudge of blood on the floor

noun

A smoky outdoor fire that is lit to keep off insects or protect plants against frost.

Usage examples:

Discussions of the merits of various smudges at keeping bugs at bay

noun

The upper layer of earth in which plants grow, a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.

Usage examples:

Blueberries need very acid soil

verb

Make dirty.

Usage examples:

He might soil his expensive suit

noun

Waste matter, especially sewage containing excrement.

Usage examples:

Hazardous waste includes contaminated soil, paint, solvent residues, asbestos and highly acidic and…

verb

Cover with drops or spots of something.

Usage examples:

Passing vehicles spattered his shoes and trousers with mud

noun

A spray or splash of something.

Usage examples:

She stood clear of the spatter of water that came off the steps

verb

To scatter small drops or bits of liquid on a surface, or of liquid to fall in small drops

Usage examples:

[ t ] the taxi hit a puddle and spattered us with mud., you left paint spatters on the floor!

noun

A sound made by something striking or falling into liquid.

Usage examples:

We hit the water with a mighty splash

verb

Cause (liquid) to strike or fall on something in irregular drops.

Usage examples:

She splashed cold water on to her face

verb

To scatter liquid or to cause liquid to scatter through the air or onto something

Usage examples:

[ t ] she splashed her face with cold water., [ i ] kids love to splash around in mud puddles., a s…

verb

Splash with a liquid, typically a thick or viscous one.

Usage examples:

A passing cart rolled by, splattering him with mud

noun

A spot or trail of a thick or viscous liquid splashed over a surface or object.

Usage examples:

Each puddle we crossed threw a splatter of mud on the windshield

verb

Dash a liquid upon or against

verb

Diminish or destroy the value or quality of.

Usage examples:

I wouldn't want to spoil your fun

noun

Goods stolen or taken forcibly from a person or place.

Usage examples:

The looters carried their spoils away

verb

To destroy or damage something, or to become destroyed or damaged

Usage examples:

[ t ] the oil spill spoiled five miles of coastline., [ t ] don’t tell me how it ends, you’ll spoil…

noun

A small round or roundish mark, differing in colour or texture from the surface around it.

Usage examples:

Ladybirds have black spots on their red wing covers

verb

Short for spotlight.

verb

A point located with respect to surface features of some region

verb

Damage the purity or integrity of.

Usage examples:

They were outraged that anyone should sully their good name

verb

To spoil something that is pure or someone's perfect reputation

Usage examples:

His reputation, he said, had been unfairly sullied by half-truths and innuendos., no speck of dirt …

verb

Colour slightly.

Usage examples:

A mass of white blossom tinged with pink

noun

A trace of a colour.

Usage examples:

There was a faint pink tinge to the sky

noun

A shade or variety of a colour.

Usage examples:

The sky was taking on an apricot tint

verb

Colour (something) slightly; tinge.

Usage examples:

Her skin was tinted with delicate colour

verb

To color something slightly

Usage examples:

Here, the ocean is gray with a blue tint.

noun

Resin dissolved in a liquid for applying on wood, metal, or other materials to form a hard, clear, shiny surface when dry.

Usage examples:

Several coats of varnish

verb

Apply varnish to.

Usage examples:

We stripped the floor and varnished it

noun

A clear liquid that you can put on a wooden surface, to protect it and give it a shiny, attractive appearance after drying

Usage examples:

[ u ] the wood can be stained any color and then sealed with a coat of varnish.