blush

American  

[bluhsh] / blʌʃ /

verb (used without object)

• blushes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• blushed,
  past participle,  past
• blushing
  present participle

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.

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verb (used with object)

• blushes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• blushed,
  past participle,  past
• blushing
  present participle

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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• blushing
  present
• blushed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• blush
  simple
• blushes
  simple
• have blushed
  perfect
• has blushed
  perfect
• am blushing
  progressive
• are blushing
  progressive
• is blushing
  progressive
• have been blushing
  perfect progressive
• has been blushing
  perfect progressive

Past

• blushed
  simple
• had blushed
  perfect
• was blushing
  progressive
• were blushing
  progressive
• had been blushing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will blush
  simple
• will have blushed
  perfect
• will be blushing
  progressive
• will have been blushing
  perfect progressive

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

Explanation

When you blush, you turn red because you are embarrassed. And, oddly enough, women wear the make-up variety of blush to add color to their cheeks — not to appear embarrassed but to appear attractive. Women use a type of makeup called blush to add redness to their cheeks. That can help you remember the other meanings of this word, which all relate to redness or rosiness. When you have a blush — or are blushing — your face gets red. People blush when they’re embarrassed. Having a crush can cause blushing; so can getting caught stealing something. Blushing is caused by blood rushing to the head: thus, the color red.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

blush blushes blushed blushing

Thomas’ dissent is, in many respects, more emotionally complex than either his admirers or his critics, like me, were at first blush ready to admit.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

The auction also features several of Monroe's personal make-up products, including lipsticks, blush and eyeliner pencil, which the auction company noted has continued to captivate people on TikTok hoping to recreate Monroe's look.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

At first blush, his lifetime Wins Above Replacement of 0.3 would indicate that he’s little better than the fictional minor league “replacement player” to which MLB players are compared in calculating the statistic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

This may seem like a paradox at first blush.

From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2026

She had a blush of ash on her cheek.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

“They’ve had a curated set of items that they’ve gone after, so whether that be in blushes or in lips or in highlighter or bronzing categories, they’re seeing strength across the board,” Fields said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

But an alert Gabriel put in a last-ditch effort, applying just enough pressure to distract Simeone as he got his shot away and save Saliba's blushes.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

The victory also helped save the blushes of Italy's Champions League sides in this season's competition.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

“Will, thank you so much!” shouts a fan, and underneath his thick beard, the pitcher blushes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2026

Astrid blushes and jumps with excitement, seemingly ignorant of Sophia's jokes.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

He blushed and actually agreed before letting me go home.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025

Instead, they found that when participants blushed watching their own performances, there was activity in regions of the brain involved in emotions.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2024

It’s a small to medium sized, pink blushed apple.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 25, 2023

When he finally removed the tiny clips pinching off the blood supply from the aorta, the kidney blushed pink, a good first sign.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 21, 2023

As soon as he saw me, he blushed a deep red.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

In “Ready or Not,” Weaving’s blushing bride-to-be, Grace, discovers that she’s marrying into a family of devil-worshippers who sold their souls for eternal wealth, and they must sacrifice her to keep the money rolling in.

From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026

A gallery blushing in a deep wine color, with the theme of “Leisure and Labor in the American Metropolis,” is almost ready.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2025

“If we give $20,000 to charity, and get half a million followers, I’ll conduct a reveal,” he told me, laughing and blushing.

From Slate ● Dec. 17, 2024

Turns out blushing is a spontaneous emotional reaction, instead of a result of cognitive self-reflection, new research published on Wednesday suggests.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2024

He shakes his head quickly; I can almost see him blushing even in the dark.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse