Meaning of “stain” in the English Dictionary

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"stain" in English

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stainverb

uk ​ /steɪn/ us ​ /steɪn/

stain verb (MARK)

C2 [ I or T ] 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.

› [ I ] 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.

› [ T ] to change the colour of something using a chemical:

She stripped the floorboards and stained them dark brown.

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stainnoun

uk ​ /steɪn/ us ​ /steɪn/

stain noun (MARK)

B1 [ C ] 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.

› [ C ] a chemical for changing the colour of something

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(Definition of “stain” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"stain" in American English

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stainverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /steɪn/

› 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.
stainless
adjective us ​ /ˈsteɪn·ləs/

stainnoun [ C ]

us ​ /steɪn/

› 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.

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

(Definition of “stain” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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