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Synonyms

blurt

American  
[blurt] / blɜrt /

verb (used with object)

  • blurts,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • blurted,
    past participle,  past
  • blurting
    present participle
  1. An image of the word blurt as defined by to utter suddenly or inadvertently; divulge impulsively or unadvisedly (usually followed byout ).

    to utter suddenly or inadvertently; divulge impulsively or unadvisedly (usually followed byout ).

    He blurted out the hiding place of the spy.


noun

  1. an abrupt utterance.

blurt British  
/ blɜːt /

verb

  1. to utter suddenly and involuntarily

"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

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Etymology

Origin of blurt

First recorded in 1565–75; apparently imitative


Explanation

If you blurt something out, you're speaking abruptly and without thinking about what you're saying. Usually, when you blurt something, you end up regretting it. Saying something without considering your words can end up making you feel stupid or hurting someone's feelings — just imagine what might happen if you were to blurt out what you really think about your grandmother's cooking. The best thing about the word blurt is that it's onomatopoeic, or a word that sounds exactly like what it means.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing blurt

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:

They stopped calling on Najya in class, making her “so frustrated that, waving her hand furiously, she began to blurt out the answers.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Any mind blurt or ridiculous thought that minnowed behind our eyeballs Midjourney absorbed and spat out.

From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2025

I blurt out in horror at my own comparative inadequacies on the romantic postal front.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2023

It's the reason Kelly can blurt, "People are saying" without pointing to a poll or naming names.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2023

“I can’t figure out if you like me,” I blurt.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

What goes down: He accidentally blurts out an inappropriate word that shocks his older co-workers, who don’t understand that the word is often used as a compliment among young people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

When the little boy in Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” blurts out that the emperor is naked, he says what people already knew.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025

He’s sort of like a chess player, unless he blurts something out.

From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025

When the woman at the agency reveals that all mortgage-backed bonds get AAA ratings, she blurts out that if she doesn’t give the banks the ratings they want, they’ll take their business elsewhere.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2025

“At least tell me your name,” he blurts out.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

That this didn’t happen has sparked a back-and-forth about culpability, with Deadline reporting BAFTA’s assurance that it made the BBC and the broadcast’s producers aware that the slur was audible shortly after Davidson blurted it.

From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026

The slur was involuntarily blurted by John Davidson, whose life experience dealing with Tourette syndrome inspired the film “I Swear.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

Instead of choosing something sanitized, I blurted out my actual most embarrassing moment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Soon after, the star blurted out cooler gas measuring a temperature of 10,000 Kelvin moving super-slow at 70 kilometres per second.

From Space Scoop ● Nov. 19, 2025

“That’s how Jake got smart,” blurted Kojo angrily.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

That might look like blurting things out or firing off a text that should be slept on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

"She was just crying down the phone, blurting it out in such terror and torment," Ms Will told the BBC.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

Baker hugged Lucas and thanked the jury before blurting out, “I really don’t know what’s happening now.”

From New York Times ● May 25, 2024

De Niro, who at times appeared grouchy, restrained himself from erupting at the dissection of his interactions with her before finally blurting out: “This is all nonsense!”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

She was still a child, Robbie thought, not beyond confessing or blurting out that she had read his note, which in turn could lead her to describe what she had interrupted.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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