blur
Americanverb (used with object)
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to obscure or sully (something) by smearing or with a smeary substance.
The windows were blurred with soot.
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to obscure by making confused in form or outline; make indistinct.
The fog blurred the outline of the car.
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to dim the perception or susceptibility of; make dull or insensible.
The blow on the head blurred his senses.
verb (used without object)
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to become indistinct.
Everything blurred as she ran.
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to make blurs.
noun
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a smudge or smear that obscures.
a blur of smoke.
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a blurred condition; indistinctness.
They could see nothing in the foggy blur.
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something seen indistinctly.
The ship appeared as a blur against the horizon.
verb
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to make or become vague or less distinct
heat haze blurs the hills
education blurs class distinctions
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to smear or smudge
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(tr) to make (the judgment, memory, or perception) less clear; dim
noun
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something vague, hazy, or indistinct
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a smear or smudge
Other Word Forms
- blurred adjective
- blurredly adverb
- blurredness noun
- blurriness noun
- blurringly adverb
- blurry adjective
- unblurred adjective
Etymology
Origin of blur
First recorded in 1540–50; akin to blear
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.
Founder Alvin Ailey’s technical approach to dance combined modern dance, ballet and jazz — among other dance forms — in an attempt to blur the traditional boundaries of the dance world.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
There’s the blur of: What’s in the freezer?
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
This exchange of genetic material between groups can blur the boundaries that scientists use to define species.
From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026
But as the lines blur further, will clubs keep that stance?
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
Out of the corner of my eye I could see the same was true for Mae; her hands were a blur and her lips never stopped moving.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
