blur

[blur]

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verb (used with object), blurred, blur·ring.

to obscure or sully (something) by smearing or with a smeary substance: The windows were blurred with soot.

to obscure by making confused in form or outline; make indistinct: The fog blurred the outline of the car.

to dim the perception or susceptibility of; make dull or insensible: The blow on the head blurred his senses.

verb (used without object), blurred, blur·ring.

to become indistinct: Everything blurred as she ran.

to make blurs.

noun

a smudge or smear that obscures: a blur of smoke.

a blurred condition; indistinctness: They could see nothing in the foggy blur.

something seen indistinctly: The ship appeared as a blur against the horizon.

Nearby words

Origin of blur

First recorded in 1540–50; akin to blear

SYNONYMS FOR blur

2. cloud, dim, darken, veil, mask.

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Related formsblur·red·ly

[blur-id-lee, blurd-] /ˈblɜr ɪd li, ˈblɜrd-/, adverbblur·red·ness, nounblur·ring·ly, adverbun·blurred, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for blur

We had a chance to blur it, but you really need to feel the pain.
The Dishonor of Honor Killings|Sara Stewart|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As pioneers of experiential art, the duo wanted to blur the lines between reality and cartoonish fantasy.
New York City’s New Mystery Art Piece|Sara Sayed|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It was like a blur,” Schottel told The Daily Beast on Wednesday.
The Day Ferguson Cops Were Caught in a Bloody Lie|Michael Daly|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The blur proved to be from 12 hours after the incident anyway.
The Day Ferguson Cops Were Caught in a Bloody Lie|Michael Daly|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Couture Week in Paris is a blur of highly-priced luxury, some of it luxe, some of it trashy-looking.
What’s Haute, What’s Not: The Meaning of Modern Couture|Liza Foreman|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The thrush, its body a blur of brown feathers, rose and fell in continuous attack.
The Best Short Stories of 1915|Various
With a definite purpose in her mind she was able to fight off again and again the blur of weakness that threatened her.
The Heart of the Desert|Honor Willsie Morrow
The engine banged away steadily, and the propellers left only a blur in the air as they kept whizzing around and around.
The Rover Boys in the Air|Edward Stratemeyer
His face was no more than a blur, and her unseen beauty was powerless to help her.
Moor Fires|E. H. (Emily Hilda) Young
It fell, whirling, glowing red—disappeared into the blur of darkness like a bit of heated metal plunged into water.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, June, 1930|Various

British Dictionary definitions for blur

blur

verb blurs, blurring or blurred

to make or become vague or less distinctheat haze blurs the hills; education blurs class distinctions

to smear or smudge

(tr) to make (the judgment, memory, or perception) less clear; dim

noun

something vague, hazy, or indistinct

a smear or smudge

Derived Forms

blurred, adjectiveblurredly (ˈblɜːrɪdlɪ, ˈblɜːd-), adverbblurredness, nounblurriness, noun

blurry, adjective

Word Origin for blur

C16: perhaps variant of blear

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 blur

blur

1540s, "smear on the surface of writing;" perhaps akin to blear. Extended sense of "confused dimness" is from 1860.

blur

1580s, and thus probably from blur (n.), but the dates are close and either might be the original. Related: Blurred; blurring.

blur

verb (used with object), blurred, blur·ring.

verb (used without object), blurred, blur·ring.

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of blur

Examples from the Web for blur

blur

verb blurs, blurring or blurred

noun

Word Origin for blur

blur

blur