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13 Dec 2018
- Japanese
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English (US)
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Simplified Chinese (China)
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Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
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Question about English (US)
What is the difference between apply and put and smear ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between apply and put and smear ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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13 Dec 2018
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- English (US)
"Apply" has a lot of meanings, but when it's similar to "put", the difference is that it means "put on for a specific use". For example, "apply paint to the wall (in order to color it)". It also sounds a little more formal than "put" in that usage. You would see it in instruction manuals, I think, but it's not too formal that you can't use it in everyday speech.
"Smear" is a very specific word that means you put something onto something, then messily spread it out? Sorry, it's hard to explain. For example, you can "smear paint on a wall". You can also have "smeared lipstick".
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- English (US)
"Apply" has a lot of meanings, but when it's similar to "put", the difference is that it means "put on for a specific use". For example, "apply paint to the wall (in order to color it)". It also sounds a little more formal than "put" in that usage. You would see it in instruction manuals, I think, but it's not too formal that you can't use it in everyday speech.
"Smear" is a very specific word that means you put something onto something, then messily spread it out? Sorry, it's hard to explain. For example, you can "smear paint on a wall". You can also have "smeared lipstick".
Highly-rated answerer
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