blister
Americannoun
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a thin vesicle on the skin, containing watery matter or serum, as from a burn or other injury.
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any similar swelling, as an air bubble in a coat of paint.
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a relatively large bubble occurring in glass during blowing.
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Military. a transparent bulge or dome on the fuselage of an airplane, usually for mounting a gun.
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Photography. a bubble of air formed where the emulsion has separated from the base of a film, as because of defective processing.
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a dome or skylight on a building.
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the moving bubble in a spirit level.
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a small blisterlike covering of plastic, usually affixed to a piece of cardboard and containing a small item, as a pen, bolt, or medicinal tablet.
verb (used with object)
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to raise a blister or blisters on.
These new shoes blistered my feet.
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to criticize or rebuke severely.
The boss blistered his assistant in front of the whole office.
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to beat or thrash; punish severely.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a small bubble-like elevation of the skin filled with serum, produced as a reaction to a burn, mechanical irritation, etc
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a swelling containing air or liquid, as on a painted surface
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a transparent dome or any bulge on the fuselage of an aircraft, such as one used for observation
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slang an irritating person
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slang a rebuke
verb
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to have or cause to have blisters
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(tr) to attack verbally with great scorn or sarcasm
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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blistersimple
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blisterssimple
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have blisteredperfect
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has blisteredperfect
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am blisteringprogressive
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are blisteringprogressive
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is blisteringprogressive
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have been blisteringperfect progressive
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has been blisteringperfect progressive
Past
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blisteredsimple
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had blisteredperfect
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was blisteringprogressive
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were blisteringprogressive
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had been blisteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blister
1250–1300; Middle English blister, blester < Old Norse blǣstri, dative of blāstr swelling. See blast, blow 2
Explanation
A blister is a fluid-filled bubble people get where something rubs or burns the skin. Common causes are wearing fancy new shoes, playing sports, and trying to cook bananas flambé. Having a blister is no fun. A blister is a round raised area caused by repeated friction or rubbing. A second-degree burn can also cause a blister. A blister isn’t always a human problem. Plants can get blisters, and sometimes air bubbles on the surface of a painted wall or a shellacked table are called blisters. The verb blister means to form a blister. The Old French root word is blestre, "lump or bump."
Vocabulary lists containing blister
The Distance Between Us
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"The War Works Hard" by Dunya Mikhail
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Neighborhood Odes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
His signature victory was a record-setting blister up Alpe d’Huez in which he roared through costumed, enthusiastic revelers on his way to a fifth stage win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Ohtani has been dealing with a small blister on the middle finger of his right hand for his last couple starts, Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
I’d let them blister and slump just slightly at the edges.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
Radar data from inside the ice shows what appears to be a blister beneath the surface, pushing the glacier upward at that location.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 5, 2026
I had at least five bites, each of which would throb for days and rise into a teacup-sized ring with a blister in the center.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
The result can be swelling, bruising, bleeding, blisters and discoloration of the skin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
In his memoir, “A Life on the Edge,” Whittaker recalled feeling euphoria as a 16-year-old at the top of Mount Olympus in Washington state, 7,965-feet high, despite blisters on his heels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
While it can cause painful blisters or ulcers that recur over time, it can lay dormant with most people having no symptoms - and Helen never had a cold sore herself.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
If blisters are the cost of doing business, so be it.
From Slate ● Mar. 14, 2026
“Caden, your feet are full of blisters from all this walking.”
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
I liked the sausage and kale and look forward to making her blistered Jimmy Nardello pepper pizzas this summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
The customer sits in the chair for the entire day, and when it’s over, Miriam’s fingers are so blistered that the others rush to get her an Epsom salt soak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
It nudged me to trust a roast chicken with five more minutes, until the skin blistered into crackle and glass.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2025
Contact your GP or NHS 111 if your skin is blistered or swollen or you have other symptoms of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025
She had bare legs and was applying bandages to her blistered toes.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
That gave Norris clean air and he set a blistering pace.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
In a blistering attack after being ousted, Fedorov said Syrsky had hobbled his attempts at modernisation -- on procurement, equipment and mobilisation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
These men and women, some of the most caring people I have met, are confined in cramped cells and sleep on floor mats in blistering heat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The jet will fly over the National Mall alongside the Defense Department’s most impressive equipment on Saturday, before the president delivers a speech in what is forecast to be a blistering heat wave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
“Are your hands blistering? Dip them in seawater!”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
