blear

[ bleer ]

/ blɪər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR blear ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to make dim, as with tears or inflammation: a biting wind that bleared the vision.

adjective

(of the eyes) dim from tears.

dim; indistinct.

noun

a blur; cloudiness; dimness: She was concerned about the recent blear in her vision.

Nearby words

Origin of blear

1250–1300; Middle English bleri, blere (v.), blere (adj.) < ?

Related formsblear·ed·ness

[bleer-id-nis] /ˈblɪər ɪd nɪs/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for blear

"'Twould turn the edge of a knife," said I, tasting it and looking at him: but his one blear'd eye was inscrutable.
The Splendid Spur|Arthur T. Quiller Couch
In simple chronic ophthalmia, blear eyes, &c., also to remove particles of lime from the eyes.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
He gazed with an open mouth and puzzled, blear eyes at the woman before him.
A Sheaf of Corn|Mary E. Mann
Burglars are not all escaped convicts, blear eyed and hideous; nor do they all go about in fustian.
The Diamond Coterie|Lawrence L. Lynch

As the direfulness of it all crept over him, something very like anger gleamed through the blear of his faded eyes.
Stories of the Foot-hills|Margaret Collier Graham

British Dictionary definitions for blear

blear

/ (blɪə) archaic /

verb

(tr) to make (eyes or sight) dim with or as if with tears; blur

adjective

a less common word for bleary

Word Origin for blear

C13: blere to make dim; related to Middle High German blerre blurred vision

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for blear

blear

adj.

c.1300, blere "watery, rheumy," perhaps related to blur. Cf. Middle High German blerre "having blurred vision."

blear

"to dim (of vision); to have watery or rheumy eyes," early 14c., of uncertain origin, possibly from an Old English *blerian, from the same source as blear (adj.). Related: Bleared; blearing.