blister
Americannoun
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blisters
plural
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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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blisters,
present (3rd person singular)
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blistered,
past participle, past
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blistering
present participle
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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)
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blisters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blistered,
past participle, past
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blistering
present participle
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
-
blistersimple
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blisterssimple
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have blisteredperfect
-
has blisteredperfect
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am blisteringprogressive
-
are blisteringprogressive
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is blisteringprogressive
-
have been blisteringperfect progressive
-
has been blisteringperfect progressive
Past
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blisteredsimple
-
had blisteredperfect
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was blisteringprogressive
-
were blisteringprogressive
-
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
With her belongings delayed, Hodgkinson was forced to complete her preparations in somebody else's spikes, which ended up giving her a blister.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
I’d let them blister and slump just slightly at the edges.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
Dara Lynn’s wore her new sneakers home and got a blister already, but she don’t care, she’s so glad to have something new.
From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The result can be swelling, bruising, bleeding, blisters and discoloration of the skin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
According to the NHS, warning signs include severe pain, redness, blisters, changes in skin colour and vomiting.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
The balls of both feet and the ends of both pointer toes had been mashed into misshapen blisters.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 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
After we’ve bathed and tended to our blisters and wounds, we feel like ourselves again.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
The 27-year-old had to be carried off the beach after suffering badly blistered feet and needed weeks of treatment.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Among this year’s participants was WSJ’s achy, blistered Xavier Martinez.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
The gold-plated figure she’d won for “Fantastic Beasts” was warped and blackened by heat, its surface blistered and twisted like something pulled from a furnace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
A handful of sun-dried tomatoes, blended with roasted cherry tomatoes — their skins blistered in a sizzling layer of golden olive oil — lends this version the concentrated flavor of August, even now in mid-March.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2025
The only thing showing above his waist was the left side of his face—ashy, pale, and blistered around the lips.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Police found 68-year-old Pierre Michel Formosa recently following a brief search, with the National Park service saying he died while trying to seek help in the blistering heat when his car got stuck in mud.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Even so, the blistering Pasadena sun produced an unusually hostile crowd environment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Countries across Europe were battling a wave of new wildfires Friday as blistering temperatures and tinder-dry landscapes made for dangerous conditions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Other crypto traders simply wanted to cash out after a blistering run for bitcoin and major tokens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Come on,” I start leading them out of the blistering maze.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
