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to stain

to stain

113 3.2
To put color on something to change how it looks
  • verb
  • /steɪn/
translation icon : manchar
  • Your clothes are stained with blood.
  • hands get stained

I hope it doesn't make it stain my skin, I guess.

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Examples

  • It spilled all over me, and I just know it's gonna stain.

  • You're staining the tablecloth.

  • Be warned, this will stain your fingers.

  • Oh, that does stain your lips too, a little bit.

  • So I took my dress and I stained it blue, took one for the team.

  • Our bed sheets were stained.

  • Too much sweat makes the leather rot, and they were getting badly stained," she explained.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Be careful not to spill that juice, as it will stain your shirt.

  • He accidentally stained the carpet with red wine.

  • The artist decided to stain the wood to enhance its natural color.

Synonyms

to paint
vsto stain
854 1.0

To put coloured liquid on a surface to protect or change how it looks

can be accidental as well as intentional, not only deliberate coloring
to tarnish
vsto stain
60 4.9

To make something like metal or a reputation lose its shine

focuses on adding color or marks rather than dulling brightness or reputation
to soil
vsto stain
59 4.5

To make something dirty with mud or dirt

covers deliberate color application or accidental marks, not only dirt contact
to defile
vsto stain
38 8.6

To make something dirty or harm its reputation

is specifically about changing surface color rather than general dirt or moral damage
to dye
vsto stain
37 2.2

To change the color of something using a coloring liquid or powder

can be done either intentionally or accidentally
to discolor
vsto stain
  • US
11 4.1

To become faded or stained

usually involves applying a substance to alter surface color, not only fading
to ink
vsto stain
4 2.4

To mark something with a colored liquid used for writing

is the general action of changing surface color rather than limited to one liquid
to mottle
vsto stain
3 8.0

To make something have uneven spots or patches of color

is the general act of changing color, not specifically forming mixed patterns
to blotch
vsto stain
2 5.3

To mark something with irregular spots of a different color

also applies to deliberate uniform coloring, not only patchy marks
to blot
vsto stain
2 3.7

To make a mark or stain on a surface, often with liquid

covers broader surface coloring or spreading marks, not just one spot
to recolor
vsto stain
  • US
1 3.4

To make something a different shade by painting, dyeing, or editing

also includes accidental color change from spilled substances
to imbue
vsto stain
1 7.7

To give a material or object a deep color

usually alters only the surface color rather than saturating deeply
to hand-dye
vsto stain
1 5.7

To color fabric or yarn by hand to make different shades

can be done by machines or accidentally, not only by manual action
to pigment
vsto stain
1 5.1

To add color to something by applying a colored substance or by natural change

can involve other methods or accidental marks, not only colored particles
to patinate
vsto stain
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To give a metal surface a thin colored layer that looks aged

is a general color change that applies to many materials, not only metals
to ocher
vsto stain
  • US
8.4

To coat something with a yellow-brown earth pigment

uses many substances and is not limited to a single earth pigment
to infuscate
vsto stain
  • Specialized
9.9

To make something dark brown, especially parts of plants or insects

can change any surface color broadly, not only brownish darkening
to maculate
vsto stain
  • Formal
9.9

To make something dirty or spoil its reputation

is primarily a physical color change, not a moral or reputational spoiling

Antonyms

1.0

Free from dirt or harmful things

Phrasal Verbs

Get rid of a mark on clothes or other things by cleaning

Compounds

2 3.3

A dark mark on clothes or a surface made by oil that is hard to remove

Gram stain
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A lab test that uses dyes and a microscope to show if bacteria keep a purple colour

Gram's stain
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A lab method that uses dye to show whether bacteria keep or lose the dye

1 1.1

A mark on something made by wet mud

A mark on a shirt or carpet that cannot be removed

shit stain
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A rude word for a lasting mark that hurts someone's reputation

pet stain
  • NSFW
2.4

A mark on carpet or furniture made by an animal, often from pee

port-wine stain
  • Specialized
6.6

A flat pink or purple birthmark on the skin caused by too many small blood vessels

How Visible

to smear
63 3.7
to stain
113 3.2
to dye
37 2.2
to mark
192 1.0
to tint
24 3.6

Surface Forms

stain infinitive
stained past
stained past participle
staining present participle
stains third person singular

Etymology

Stain comes from an old word meaning 'spot' or 'mark', so to stain something is to put color on it that leaves a visible mark.