slur
to pass over lightly or without due mention or consideration (often followed by over): The report slurred over her contribution to the enterprise.
to pronounce (a syllable, word, etc.) indistinctly by combining, reducing, or omitting sounds, as in hurried or careless utterance.
to cast aspersions on; calumniate; disparage; depreciate: The candidate was viciously slurred by his opponent.
Music.
to sing to a single syllable or play without a break (two or more tones of different pitch).
to mark with a slur.
Chiefly British Dialect. to smirch, sully, or stain.
to read, speak, or sing hurriedly and carelessly.
a slurred utterance or sound.
a disparaging remark or a slight: quick to take offense at a slur; an ethnic slur against people of Irish descent.
a blot or stain, as upon reputation: a slur on his good name.
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.
Printing. a spot that is blurred or unclear as a result of paper, plate, or blanket slippage.
Origin of slur
1Other words for slur
Opposites for slur
Other words from slur
- un·slurred, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use slur in a sentence
I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back.
Country star Morgan Wallen suspended by record label, dropped by hundreds of radio stations after using racial slur | Emily Yahr | February 3, 2021 | Washington PostIn one case, a man sent her a text reply to a campaign message with a racial slur, claimed to be a Vietnam war veteran and said he would bring an AK-47 rifle to the polls to “take care of her.”
Women Politicians Across the County Say They’ve Faced Harassment, Threats | Kayla Jimenez | November 9, 2020 | Voice of San Diego“I was a nobody there,” Sisler insisted in a telephone interview, during which he slurred his words and acknowledged he was drunk.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’ | The Center for Investigative Reporting | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen he slurred and smelled of alcohol, they ordered him out of the car for sobriety tests.
The U.S. Veteran and Wisconsin Boy Who Went to Fight ISIS in Syria | Jacob Siegel | October 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe shooting left Brady with slurred speech, and with partial paralysis, which required him to use a wheelchair.
Jim Brady, Reagan’s Gentle ‘Bear’ Who Roared Back to Life After Being Shot | Eleanor Clift | August 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It's remarkable, too, that during his delivery, Lou showed no significant signs of slurred speech, often so characteristic of ALS.
The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address | Ray Robinson | July 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“We could see he looked rough, from the way he held his body and slurred some of his words,” the official said.
The Real Reason the U.S. Didn’t Rescue Bowe Bergdahl | Kimberly Dozier | June 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis ceremony, as may be surmised, was by no means slurred over without due rejoicing.
Orley Farm | Anthony TrollopeAnthony slurred over the greater question by tactfully emphasizing the lesser.
Glory of Youth | Temple BaileySo long as it was supposed that all women descended from Eve, the difficulty might be slurred over by the name of heredity.
Her voice slurred over from the question to her next outburst.
Molly Brown's Junior Days | Nell SpeedVery occasionally three, in cases where one of the syllables can be slurred away in pronunciation.
The Oxford Book of Latin Verse | Various
British Dictionary definitions for slur
/ (slɜː) /
(often foll by over) to treat superficially, hastily, or without due deliberation; gloss
(also intr) to pronounce or utter (words, etc) indistinctly
to speak disparagingly of or cast aspersions on
music to execute (a melodic interval of two or more notes) smoothly, as in legato performance
(also intr) to blur or smear
archaic to stain or smear; sully
an indistinct sound or utterance
a slighting remark; aspersion
a stain or disgrace, as upon one's reputation; stigma
music
a performance or execution of a melodic interval of two or more notes in a part
the curved line (⌢ or ⌣) indicating this
a blur or smear
Origin of slur
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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