stain

12 definitions • 13 examples

to leave a mark on something that is difficult to remove:

Tomato sauce stains terribly - it's really difficult to get it out of clothes.

While she was changing the wheel on her car, her coat had become stained with oil.

If a material stains, it absorbs substances easily, causing it to become covered with marks, or coloured by a chemical:

This carpet is ideal for the kitchen because it doesn't stain easily.

to change the colour of something using a chemical:

She stripped the floorboards and stained them dark brown.

to permanently spoil something such as someone's reputation:

Several important politicians have had their reputations stained by this scandal.

The country's history is stained with the blood of (= the country is guilty of killing) millions of innocent men and women.

a dirty mark on something that is difficult to remove:

a blood/grass stain

You can remove a red wine stain from a carpet by sprinkling salt over it.

a chemical for changing the colour of something

permanent damage to someone's reputation or character:

His solicitor said, "He leaves this court without a stain on his character."

to leave a mark on something that is difficult to remove, or to become colored or spoiled by a mark:

[ T ] Strawberry juice stained my shirt.

[ I ] This carpet is practical because it doesn’t stain easily.

If you stain wood, you put a substance on it that changes its color:

[ T ] Instead of painting the woodwork, she stained it dark brown.

a dirty mark on something that is difficult to remove:

The tomato sauce left a stain on the tablecloth.

A stain is also a thin, oily liquid used to change the color of wood.

A stain is also a chemical used to color cells to make them easier to see when studying them under a microscope.