blush

American  

[bluhsh] / blʌʃ /

verb (used without object)

1. to redden, as from self-consciousness, embarrassment, or shame.

   He blushed when they called him a conquering hero.

   Synonyms:

   color, flush

   Antonyms:

   blanch, pale

2. to feel shame or embarrassment (often followed by at orfor ).

   Your behavior makes me blush for your poor mother.

3. (of the sky, flowers, etc.) to become rosy.

4. (of house paint or lacquer) to become cloudy or dull through moisture or excessive evaporation of solvents.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to make red; flush.

2. to make known by a blush.

   She could not help blushing the truth.

noun

1. a reddening, as of the face.

2. rosy or pinkish tinge.

3. Also called blush-on.  Also called blusher,.  a cosmetic used to add a pink or reddish color to the cheeks.

4. Also called blush wine.  rosé.

idioms

1. at first blush, without previous knowledge or adequate consideration; at first glance.

   At first blush, the solution to the problem seemed simple enough.

blush British  

/ blʌʃ /

verb

1. (intr) to become suddenly red in the face from embarrassment, shame, modesty, or guilt; redden

2. to make or become reddish or rosy

---

noun

1. a sudden reddening of the face from embarrassment, shame, modesty, or guilt

2. a rosy glow

   the blush of a peach

3. a reddish or pinkish tinge

4. a cloudy area on the surface of freshly applied gloss paint

5. when first seen; as a first impression

blush More Idioms  

1. see at first blush.

---

Other Word Forms

• blushful adjective
• blushfully adverb
• blushfulness noun
• blushing noun
• blushingly adverb
• blushless adjective
• outblush verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of blush

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verb blushen, blyshen “to glow,” probably from Old English blyscan “to glow brightly, glow red”; akin to Old English blysa, blisa, Old Norse blys, Middle Low German blus “torch,” bloschen “to blaze”; noun derived from the verb

Example Sentences

This may seem like a paradox at first blush.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Some hedge funds are shorting shares that at first blush don’t seem very related to the fighting, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Indeed, some staples are now trading at multiples that would make tech stocks blush.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Beauty products receive bigger markdowns; for instance, Rare Beauty’s liquid blush normally costs $25 but sold for $7.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

“Oh, how I used to scold! Makes me blush to think of the things I said. And now the poor man’s buried in the ground, and I won’t be scolding him again, that’s for sure.”

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood