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
-
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
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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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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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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:
Ciara and her partner Lewis had to become experts in the rare genetic disorder, which causes skin to tear or blister at the slightest touch.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Choi’s advice was to go the other direction: blister them, puree them, drown them in vinegar or chili, add something sweet, blend them into sauces, make them taste like the foods you already crave.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
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
About a hundred yards ahead of them, a blister burst on the ground.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Her symptoms worsened into adulthood with tears, blisters and sores.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The downpour turned the path—uphill, then downhill, then uphill again—into a slick mess of red clay and rock; every step had my blisters screaming in a new language.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
He added: "I ended up covered in these large watery blisters the whole way up my arm, I'll always remember the pain of it."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The result can be swelling, bruising, bleeding, blisters and discoloration of the skin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Twisting hundreds of squash from their stems was making cramped claws of them, and her fingers were raw with broken blisters.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
Pike is currently in critical condition on a ventilator, with burned and blistered arms, according to her lawyers.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
The lawyer said medics were "working to save Ms. Pike's life" after she arrived with both arms "swollen, burned, and blistered."
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
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
Yee said she should drop out of the race and Villaraigosa blistered her in ads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
As if blistered heels—or blistered ears—are no big deal.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
As Anna Holmes recently pointed out in her blistering New Yorker essay, more than half of millennials have had parental help purchasing their home.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Even as Americans have pulled back from buying new EVs, the country’s fast-charging infrastructure is growing at a blistering pace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Root miscued to be caught for 69, leading England to promote Will Jacks to number five for a blistering unbroken stand of 185 from only 79 balls with Brook.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
On the one hand, earnings growth has reached a blistering pace typically only seen during the early stages of an economic recovery.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 18, 2026
Celaena had already spent one blistering summer in the heat of the Red Desert, but to tell Nehemia that would only invite difficult questions.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
