· charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; "The journalists have defamed me!"; "The article in the paper sullied my reputation"
Synonym(s): defame, slander, smirch, asperse, denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully
· smear so as to make dirty or stained
Synonym(s): smirch
Hypernym(s): smear