slur
Americanverb (used with object)
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slurs,
present (3rd person singular)
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slurred,
past participle, past
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slurring
present participle
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to pass over lightly or without due mention or consideration (often followed byover ).
The report slurred over her contribution to the enterprise.
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to pronounce (a syllable, word, etc.) indistinctly by combining, reducing, or omitting sounds, as in hurried or careless utterance.
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to cast aspersions on; calumniate; disparage; depreciate.
The candidate was viciously slurred by his opponent.
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Music.
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to sing to a single syllable or play without a break (two or more tones of different pitch).
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to mark with a slur.
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Chiefly British Dialect. to smirch, sully, or stain.
verb (used without object)
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slurs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slurred,
past participle, past
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slurring
present participle
noun
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slurs
plural
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a slurred utterance or sound.
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a disparaging remark or a slight: an ethnic slur against people of Irish descent.
quick to take offense at a slur;
an ethnic slur against people of Irish descent.
- Antonyms:
- compliment
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a blot or stain, as upon reputation.
a slur on his good name.
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Music.
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the combination of two or more tones of different pitch, sung to a single syllable or played without a break.
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a curved mark indicating this.
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Printing. a spot that is blurred or unclear as a result of paper, plate, or blanket slippage.
verb
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(often foll by over) to treat superficially, hastily, or without due deliberation; gloss
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(also intr) to pronounce or utter (words, etc) indistinctly
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to speak disparagingly of or cast aspersions on
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music to execute (a melodic interval of two or more notes) smoothly, as in legato performance
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(also intr) to blur or smear
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archaic to stain or smear; sully
noun
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an indistinct sound or utterance
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a slighting remark; aspersion
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a stain or disgrace, as upon one's reputation; stigma
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music
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a performance or execution of a melodic interval of two or more notes in a part
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the curved line ( or ) indicating this
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a blur or smear
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slursimple
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slurssimple
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have slurredperfect
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has slurredperfect
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am slurringprogressive
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are slurringprogressive
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is slurringprogressive
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have been slurringperfect progressive
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has been slurringperfect progressive
Past
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slurredsimple
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had slurredperfect
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was slurringprogressive
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were slurringprogressive
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had been slurringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slur
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”
Explanation
A slur is an insulting remark. In a political campaign, it’s not unheard of for a candidate to launch a slur at her opponent, though doing so is usually frowned upon. Slur can also be used as a verb meaning “to insult,” and it has a number of additional meanings as well. To slur one’s speech is to pronounce words in a clumsy, lazy way. In the context of music, to slur is to slide smoothly from one note to another. The word history of slur is hazy, but some scholars have suggested a relationship with a Dutch word meaning "to drag."
Vocabulary lists containing slur
"The Treasure of Lemon Brown"
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Dear Martin
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Music - Middle School
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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:
The publication of the report follows the outcome of the BBC's own investigation into what led to the slur being broadcast, which was published earlier this week.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
Once a slur that implied homosexuality was shamefully deviant, “queer” was “reclaimed” in the 1980s by gay activists as a synonym for “gay.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
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
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx posted on Instagram earlier this week that the slur had been "unacceptable".
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Stammering at times, he speaks so fast that his words slur together.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Tourette’s is misunderstood, and coprolalia, a symptom of the condition that leads to involuntary swearing, slurs, or other socially unacceptable words or phrases, is even more so.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026
A spokesperson for the charity Tourettes Action said it "deeply" understood the offence and harm caused by racial slurs.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
The community group Cynefin Pamoja said work is needed "now more than ever" to educate young people on things such as racist slurs.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
This could include disciplining teachers who use antisemitic slurs or stereotypes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025
Nooses, racial slurs, and overt bigotry are widely condemned by people across the political spectrum; they are understood to be remnants of the past, no longer reflective of the prevailing public consensus about race.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
He skipped over and slurred words as he tried to maintain an artificially quick tempo.
From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026
In adults, symptoms can include but are not limited to slurred speech, extreme shivering or muscle pain, severe breathlessness and skin that is mottled or discoloured.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
In the episode, Dane’s speech is noticeably slurred, and he sits in a motorized wheelchair while speaking to Falchuk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
David had a tumor on his cheek that “distorted his face and slurred his speech.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
Manny asked him something and he felt that he had slurred the answer, but Manny seemed satisfied.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
Chopin sought to convey these moods through explicit performing directions about fingering, pedaling and slurring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
A prominent Australian television reporter apologised Thursday after slurring her way through a live broadcast from the Winter Olympics in a clip that went viral.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
Lydic called out several aspects of Trump's conversation with Musk, which drew significant media attention for his rambling style and seeming slurring of his words.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
When Spence walked from the tunnel, accompanied by regional rapper BigXThaPlug, slurring off beat about the greatness of the state they were from and riding ATVs with diamond chains, folk started shimmying in the crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2023
A good example of slurring occurs when a vocalist sings more than one note on the same syllable of text.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
