slurred; slurring
: to slip so as to cause a slur
—used of a sheet being printed
slurred; slurring
1
a
: to slide or slip over without due mention, consideration, or emphasis
slurred over certain facts
b
: to perform hurriedly : skimp
let him not slur his lesson—
R. W. Emerson
R. W. Emerson2
: to perform (successive tones of different pitch) in a smooth or connected manner
3
a
: to reduce, make a substitution for, or omit (sounds that would normally occur in an utterance)
b
: to utter with such reduction, substitution, or omission of sounds
his speech was slurred
Synonyms
Examples of slur in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebNardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In addition to the operation plan and gear list, the thumb drive contained several items such as a rifle with a racial slur and a recording of the 2019 Christchurch shooting, in which Australian far-right extremist killed 51 people and injured 40 others at two New Zealand mosques.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
In February 2021, Wallen made a public apology after TMZ posted a video showing him yelling a racial slur in Nashville.
—Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
In a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone, Church addressed the infamous video in which Wallen was caught using a racial slur.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
Anti-Jewish slurs and stars of David were painted on government buildings and residences.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
This week, the department released a video of an interview an officer conducted with a University of Utah women’s basketball booster who called police to report that a group of racists revving truck engines and yelling slurs victimized players on the team.
—Alexandra Duggan and, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2024
Many students say hate speech and racial slurs regularly go unchecked at the school.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
The slur has been employed to marginalize those in the Arab American community, aiming to portray them as outsiders in American society.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2024
His words were slurred, a mix of fear and steadfastness in his voice.
—Emily Ziff Griffin, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
An officer observed that Castillo allegedly had watery and bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2024
These violent, slurring women are modern-day muses.
—EW.com, 21 Nov. 2023
The affidavit added that Young’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was slurred.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2024
Upon arrival, police found an 18-year-old slurring her words, wearing her pants inside out.
—Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Ask them to say a simple phrase to gauge if their speech is slurred.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2024
The teacher had repeatedly leveled racist and sexist slurs against the student.
—Journal Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024
Noun
Then the next month, he was infamously suspended from his record label and his music was temporarily removed from radio and streaming playlists after video surfaced of him drunkenly using a racist slur.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In addition to the operation plan and gear list, the thumb drive contained several items such as a rifle with a racial slur and a recording of the 2019 Christchurch shooting, in which Australian far-right extremist killed 51 people and injured 40 others at two New Zealand mosques.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
In February 2021, Wallen made a public apology after TMZ posted a video showing him yelling a racial slur in Nashville.
—Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024
In a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone, Church addressed the infamous video in which Wallen was caught using a racial slur.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
Anti-Jewish slurs and stars of David were painted on government buildings and residences.
—Jason Farago, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
This week, the department released a video of an interview an officer conducted with a University of Utah women’s basketball booster who called police to report that a group of racists revving truck engines and yelling slurs victimized players on the team.
—Alexandra Duggan and, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2024
Many students say hate speech and racial slurs regularly go unchecked at the school.
—Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024
The slur has been employed to marginalize those in the Arab American community, aiming to portray them as outsiders in American society.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Verb
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Telles, slurring his words, was arrested for domestic battery and resisting arrest
ROBERT TELLES (police bodycam video): There's sufficient evidence to book me right now?
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2024
His words were slurred, a mix of fear and steadfastness in his voice.
—Emily Ziff Griffin, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
An officer observed that Castillo allegedly had watery and bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2024
These violent, slurring women are modern-day muses.
—EW.com, 21 Nov. 2023
The affidavit added that Young’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was slurred.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2024
Upon arrival, police found an 18-year-old slurring her words, wearing her pants inside out.
—Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Ask them to say a simple phrase to gauge if their speech is slurred.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2024
The teacher had repeatedly leveled racist and sexist slurs against the student.
—Journal Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near slur
Cite this Entry
“Slur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slur. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slur
2 of 4 noun1
a
: a curved line connecting notes to be sung or played without a break
b
: the combination of two or more slurred tones
2
: a slurring manner of speech
slur
4 of 4 noun1
a
: damaging criticism
2
: a blurred spot in printed matter : smudge
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