blear

American  

[bleer] / blɪər /

verb (used with object)

1. to make dim, as with tears or inflammation.

   a biting wind that bleared the vision.

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adjective

1. (of the eyes) dim from tears.

2. dim; indistinct.

noun

1. a blur; cloudiness; dimness.

   She was concerned about the recent blear in her vision.

blear British  

/ blɪə /

verb

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

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adjective

1. a less common word for bleary

Other Word Forms

• blearedness noun

Etymology

Origin of blear

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

Example Sentences

He gorged himself habitually at table, which made him bilious, and gave him a dim and bleared eye and flabby cheeks.

From Literature

Dancers moved to salsa beats blearing out of speakers stacked in plazas under the moonlight.

From Time

They blear into a nightmare, the one scarcely distinguishable from the other.

From Literature

In a statement Wednesday, the Austin-based grocery chain says the pies were sold as half and full pies packaged in blear clamshell packages and brown, kraft paper boxes.

From Washington Times

Instead, in the blear of a Monday morning, Ms. Coleman, a 33-year-old publicist, and her fellow passengers were treated to an extraordinary note of apology — not from the railroad, but from the train’s conductor.

From New York Times