blur

1 of 2

noun

ˈblər 

1

: a smear or stain that obscures

2

: something vaguely or indistinctly perceived

The words are just a blur without his glasses.

The whole weekend is a blur to me.

especially : something moving or occurring too quickly to be clearly seen

passed by in a blur of motion

blur

2 of 2

verb

blurred; blurring

transitive verb

1

: to obscure or blemish by smearing

windows blurred by fingerprints

2

: sully

… an act that blurs the grace and blush of modesty.

—Shakespeare

3

: to make dim, indistinct, or vague in outline or character

His vision was blurred.

digitally blur the edges of photographs

blurring the line between fact and fiction

4

: to make cloudy or confused

… time had begun to blur her senses.

—W. A. White

intransitive verb

1

a

: to make blurs

… the moths tapped and blurred at the window screen …

—Robert Penn Warren

b

: move too quickly to be seen clearly

… it's like the … ride of a traveling carnival, with eerie lights and sharp turns on the rails and the odd unsettling image that blurs past you.

—Adrian McKinty

2

: to become vague or indistinct

distinctions between the two are beginning to blur

blurringly

ˈblər-iŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of blur

Verb

• confuse
• muddy
• obfuscate
• fog

Examples of blur in a Sentence

Verb

The tears in my eyes blurred the words on the page.

His novel is based on historical occurrences but it blurs the line between fact and fiction.

The two events have blurred together in my mind.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Gat finds a variety of answers to these questions, but his overarching thesis is that there are no permanent answers, especially as the boundaries between war and peace blur and as new ways of fighting emerge. —Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

The plot of Wake Up Dead Man is fatally cluttered, and the story winds up in a blur of exposition that’s not particularly clever. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 12 Dec. 2025

Verb

What Wolfgang-Smith articulates is how the experience of reading O’Brian’s twenty books starts to blur into patterns that are instantly recognizable to anyone in a long term relationship. —Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025

In these clips, the screen judders and blurs, the lights fluttering in a mad blitz, as if this person’s aura can overwhelm the time-space continuum. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

perhaps akin to Middle English bleren to blear

First Known Use

Noun

1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1520, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for blur

• birr
• bur
• cur
• er
• fir
• fur
• furr
• gurr
• her
• murr
• myrrh
• per

Kids Definition

blur

1 of 2 noun

ˈblər 

1

: a smear or stain that dims but does not completely cover

2

: something vague or lacking definite outline

blurry

-ē

adjective

blur

2 of 2 verb

blurred; blurring

1

: to make hard to see or read by smearing

2

: to make or become vague or unclear