blur

American  

[blur] / blɜr /

verb (used with object)

• blurs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• blurred,
  past participle,  past
• blurring
  present participle

1. to obscure or sully (something) by smearing or with a smeary substance.

   The windows were blurred with soot.

2. to obscure by making confused in form or outline; make indistinct.

   The fog blurred the outline of the car.

   Synonyms:

   mask, veil, darken, dim, cloud

3. to dim the perception or susceptibility of; make dull or insensible.

   The blow on the head blurred his senses.

---

verb (used without object)

• blurs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• blurred,
  past participle,  past
• blurring
  present participle

1. to become indistinct.

   Everything blurred as she ran.

2. to make blurs.

noun

• blurs
  plural

1. a smudge or smear that obscures.

   a blur of smoke.

2. a blurred condition; indistinctness.

   They could see nothing in the foggy blur.

3. something seen indistinctly.

   The ship appeared as a blur against the horizon.

blur British  

/ ˈblɜːd-, ˈblɜːrɪdlɪ, blɜː /

verb

1. to make or become vague or less distinct

   heat haze blurs the hills

   education blurs class distinctions

2. to smear or smudge

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

---

noun

1. something vague, hazy, or indistinct

2. a smear or smudge

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• blurredness
  noun
• blurriness
  noun
• blurred
  adjective
• blurry
  adjective
• unblurred
  adjective
• blurredly
  adverb
• blurringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• blurs
  plural

Participles

• blurring
  present
• blurred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• blur
  simple
• blurs
  simple
• have blurred
  perfect
• has blurred
  perfect
• am blurring
  progressive
• are blurring
  progressive
• is blurring
  progressive
• have been blurring
  perfect progressive
• has been blurring
  perfect progressive

Past

• blurred
  simple
• had blurred
  perfect
• was blurring
  progressive
• were blurring
  progressive
• had been blurring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will blur
  simple
• will have blurred
  perfect
• will be blurring
  progressive
• will have been blurring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of blur

First recorded in 1540–50; akin to blear

Explanation

To blur is to make or become unfocused and fuzzy. Crying hard can cause your vision to blur until you wipe your tears away. Heavy smog or early morning fog can blur your view of the city, and two candidates' similar views can blur the differences between their political parties. In both cases, things become indistinct and hazy. You can also call the haze itself a blur: "The whole day was just a blur after the exciting news I got in the morning." In the 16th century, blur meant "smear on the surface of writing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blur blurs blurred blurring

But innovation will remain a hard sell so long as users remain entranced by the big blur, where art becomes media, media becomes content, and content becomes time tossed into the wind.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

Those windows also help to blur the lines between the indoors and out—giving the property a natural feel that is further emphasized by the use of wood throughout the design.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

But Tammy Beaumont had little time to dwell on a hazy blur of tiredness or the overwhelming excitement at new-found freedom, as she went straight from Loughborough to her England debut in the Caribbean.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Her projects frequently blur the boundaries between artistic practice and civic inquiry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

New inventions like automobiles and airplanes are a blur on the street and in the sky.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

“A carefully curated palette of wood, stone, water, and light blurs the boundaries between indoors and out, creating an atmosphere of serenity and effortless connection to the landscape.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

The video released to the public, however, blurs the officer’s face and identity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Prof Bart De Strooper, from the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, said the review "does not clarify the evidence, it blurs it" and added that "the flaw in this review is fundamental".

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

In such companies, the line between capital and labor blurs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026

I don't see much more than blurs as we walk by—but I do manage to catch one thing.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

The video even featured images of former presidential aide Andriy Yermak and parliamentary faction leader David Arakhamia, alongside blurred photographs of other figures within Zelensky's entourage.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The symptoms can include blurred vision, a central blind or dark spot and increased sensitivity to light.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Many recent graduates entered the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when the line between personal and professional life was often blurred.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

The ghost of Vice still lingers in today’s media ecosystem in what he called our “era of cartel journalism:” creators navigating a world of blurred incentives and corporate interests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Ain’t thick enough to be a proper fog, mind you, just a thin, wispy mist that leaves everything kind of blurred.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick

While effective at drawing attention, they may have the unwanted effect of making viewers uncomfortable by blurring the lines of reality — even if the AI use is disclosed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Across YouTube videos, video games, VR experiences and TikTok edits, audiences are located inside the environment itself blurring the boundaries between storytelling, role-playing, tourism and online participation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

Atkinson stretched the lead out to 35-3, going in after some blurring footwork from Marcus Smith and a lovely offload off the floor from Van Poortvliet.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

The design software market faces unique risks, Radke conceded, as generative AI reduces the time and skill required for prototyping and ideation, in turn blurring the boundaries “of who a ‘designer’ is.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

You could see the blurring of the fine ink lines where skin had stretched and then shrunk back again.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• darken
• dim
• muddy
• obscure
• soften