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.
He draws an important distinction that is blurred by the dissent.
And so, to a certain extent, the lines blurred sometimes between ourselves and our characters.
From Los Angeles Times
When clinicians blur the line between suffering and incapacity, accommodation loses its meaning, standards lose force, and those with genuine impairments are met with suspicion.
As a result, you are understandably struggling with emotional enmeshment, a dysfunctional relationship dynamic where boundaries are blurred, pressure is applied to participate in the emotions, anxieties and responsibilities of another person.
From MarketWatch
But I do want you to be aware that lines can become blurred between their wishes and your own.
From MarketWatch
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.
