slur
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
noun
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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:
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
Kirk Jones, director of Bafta-winning film I Swear, has said John Davidson was "let down", after the Tourette's campaigner's racist slur was broadcast during the BBC's coverage of Sunday's ceremony.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described the broadcast of the slur as "completely unacceptable and harmful", saying the BBC "must ensure that this never happens again".
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
That was such a foreign concept to Percy, so not who he was, he almost couldn’t process the slur.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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
Variety reported that he has contacted Warner Bros in order to apologise directly to Jordan, Lindo and Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler, who also spoke about hearing racial slurs.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 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
“Let me be clear: Violence, harassment, racism, discrimination, the use of racial slurs, and gang-related activity have no place in Simi Valley.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2025
So if you are wondering how to play slurs on your guitar or staccato on your clarinet, ask your music teacher or director.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
And more serious concerns such as a stroke need to be ruled out when dizziness or vertigo is accompanied by severe imbalance, double vision, slurred speech, weakness, numbness, trouble walking or decreased alertness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
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
May added that Tole “can speak right now, but it’s just so slurred and so labored for him, just because of all the trauma to his mouth and cheek.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
“We’ll get back to Camp Lejeune someday,” Mrs. Meecham said, her eyes hunting for her husband’s plane again, her voice trailing off into a slurred whisper.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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
In the beginning, he said, “The discord and division of our country must be healed,” slurring the word, “discord.”
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2024
When asked why so many people think his group is a cult, he said: "They don't know what a cult is… they're slurring us, they're smearing us."
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2023
What came out of their mouths was an incomprehensible mix of slurring and grunting.
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
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.
