begrime
Cover with dirt
To begrime is to make grimy—to cover with dirt, soot, or filth.
The word appears almost exclusively as the past participle begrimed: a begrimed factory worker, walls begrimed with decades of smoke.
Literary and somewhat old-fashioned, it suggests thorough, accumulated dirtiness rather than a quick smudge.
dirtying
Foul, accumulated matter
- soilGround matter for planting
- sootCarbon from incomplete burning
- smudgeUnclear dirty mark
- muckFilthy wet dirt
grunge · squalor · mud · dust · smut · grease · sludge · mire
filth
Foul, accumulated matter
muck · grunge · squalor · mud · dust · smut · grease · sludge · mire · dingy
sully
Damage one's standing
defile · contaminate · pollute · debase · corrupt · blacken · dishonor · stain · smear · muddy
smear
Spread or defame
spot · discolor · splatter · smudge · blemish · mar · deface · mottle · speckle · fleck