slur

[ slur ]
See synonyms for: slurslurredslurring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),slurred, slur·ring.
  1. to pass over lightly or without due mention or consideration (often followed by over): The report slurred over her contribution to the enterprise.

  2. to pronounce (a syllable, word, etc.) indistinctly by combining, reducing, or omitting sounds, as in hurried or careless utterance.

  1. to cast aspersions on; calumniate; disparage; depreciate: The candidate was viciously slurred by his opponent.

  2. Music.

    • to sing to a single syllable or play without a break (two or more tones of different pitch).

    • to mark with a slur.

  3. Chiefly British Dialect. to smirch, sully, or stain.

verb (used without object),slurred, slur·ring.
  1. to read, speak, or sing hurriedly and carelessly.

noun
  1. a slurred utterance or sound.

  2. a disparaging remark or a slight: quick to take offense at a slur; an ethnic slur against people of Irish descent.

  1. a blot or stain, as upon reputation: a slur on his good name.

  2. Music.

    • the combination of two or more tones of different pitch, sung to a single syllable or played without a break.

    • a curved mark indicating this.

  3. Printing. a spot that is blurred or unclear as a result of paper, plate, or blanket slippage.

Origin of slur

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; of multiple origins; in the sense “pass over without due consideration,” compare Low German slurren “to shuffle,” Dutch sleuren “to trail, drag”; in the sense “blot or stain,” compare Middle Dutch slore (Dutch sloor ) “sluttish woman”

Other words for slur

Opposites for slur

Other words from slur

  • un·slurred, adjective

Words Nearby slur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use slur in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slur

slur

/ (slɜː) /


verbslurs, slurring or slurred (mainly tr)
  1. (often foll by over) to treat superficially, hastily, or without due deliberation; gloss

  2. (also intr) to pronounce or utter (words, etc) indistinctly

  1. to speak disparagingly of or cast aspersions on

  2. music to execute (a melodic interval of two or more notes) smoothly, as in legato performance

  3. (also intr) to blur or smear

  4. archaic to stain or smear; sully

noun
  1. an indistinct sound or utterance

  2. a slighting remark; aspersion

  1. a stain or disgrace, as upon one's reputation; stigma

  2. music

    • a performance or execution of a melodic interval of two or more notes in a part

    • the curved line (⌢ or ⌣) indicating this

  3. a blur or smear

Origin of slur

1
C15: probably from Middle Low German; compare Middle Low German slūren to drag, trail, Middle Dutch sloren, Dutch sleuren

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