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Glite Dictionary
to colly

to colly

9.9
To make something dirty or stained
  • verb
  • Archaic
translation icon : ensuciar
  • Her hands were colly with soot after tending the fire.

Examples

  • The children returned home with their faces colly from playing in the mud.

  • Don't colly your shoes in the mud!

  • Do not colly your dress before the recital.

  • The puppy colly its paws in the mud.

  • The children colly their hands when they play in the mud.

  • If you drop that sandwich on the floor, it will colly the carpet.

  • The rain colly the windows, making it hard to see outside.

Synonyms

to stain
vsto colly
113 3.2

To put color on something to change how it looks

is about general soiling or fouling rather than just color change
to soil
vsto colly
59 4.5

To make something dirty with mud or dirt

focuses on simple contact dirt rather than deliberate marking or fouling
to dirty
vsto colly
14 1.0

To make something unclean or covered with dirt

is a general state of being unclean while the key implies staining or stronger fouling
to muddy
vsto colly
5 1.9

Make something dirty with mud or sediment

is the general act of soiling rather than being limited to mud or cloudiness
to befoul
vsto colly
3 9.4

Make something dirty or spoiled by adding harmful things

is more about simple soiling or staining rather than larger pollution
to muck
vsto colly
3 3.5

To make something dirty with mud

is a general soiling term rather than focusing on messy or filthy matter
to smirch
vsto colly
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To put a dirty mark on something like a dress or carpet

is focused on physical soiling and staining rather than figurative tarnishing
to begrime
vsto colly
1 9.4

To cover something with dark dirt so it becomes dirty

is a general soiling action rather than specifically covering with grime
to grime
vsto colly
1 6.6

To make something dirty by covering it with dirt or soot

is the broader act of soiling, not only by greasy dirt
to muddy up
vsto colly
1 3.5

To make something dirty with wet dirt, for example shoes or floors

is wider than just mud actions, covering many dirtying ways
to maculate
vsto colly
  • Literature
9.9

To mark with spots or stains

is the common action rather than formal or literary marking
to bemire
vsto colly
9.9

To cover someone or something with mud

is broader, not restricted to mud or filth coverage
to muck up
vsto colly
  • Informal
6.7

To make something dirty with mud or dirt

is broader, not only about smearing with mud or filth

Antonyms

clean
∞ 1.0

Free from dirt or harmful things

to purify
30 4.6

To remove dirt and bad chemicals from water or air to make them clean

How Dirty

to defile
38 8.6
to colly
  • Archaic
9.9
to smear
63 3.7

Surface Forms

colly infinitive
colled past
colled past participle
collying present participle
collies third person singular

Etymology

Colly comes from the old English word coal, which means 'charcoal' or 'black', so to colly something is to make it dirty or black with soot.