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. 2024
How to use slur in a sentence
The slurring of relationships and transactions has effects ranging from the gruesome to the melancholy.
Meet The Former Call Girl Saving Hookers For Jesus | Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig | July 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShawn and Shelley sat in the sun at the pool until Jerry Lee came out, looking mean and slurring his words.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis | Richard Ben Cramer | January 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe did not appear drunk in any obvious weaving, slurring way.
Tina Brown: No, Conspiracy Theorists, Princess Diana Was Not Murdered | Tina Brown | August 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIt turns out that as a slurring, stumbling Weeble Wobble of a trophy wife, Akerman really shines.
Fall-Winter TV Preview: Snap Judgments of 2013–14’s New Shows | Jace Lacob, Kevin Fallon | July 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSlurring her words and stumbling on her delivery, people wondered aloud if, gasp, Sawyer was drunk on air.
13 Must-See Moments From Election Night (VIDEO) | Jake Heller, Ben Teitelbaum | November 7, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
A further example of the slurring over of syllables by the uneducated (qu' for que, m' for me, vot' for votre, Etc.).
Contes Franais | Douglas Labaree BuffumNothing so quickly gives an effect of slovenly speech as the slurring of consonants, where it is not generally adopted.
The Sounds of Spoken English | Walter RippmannThe most common fault is indistinctness—slurring over or leaving out notes.
Piano Mastery | Harriette BrowerOn came the figure, its long arms swinging mechanically, and its feet slurring over the stone pavement.
The Land of the Changing Sun | William N. HarbenEven as a tiny boy he had brazened it out, boasting of his mental achievements and slurring the weakness of his stunted body.
The Gay Cockade | Temple Bailey
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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