blanch

verb

\ ˈblanch

blanched; blanching; blanches

Definition of blanch

: to take the color out of Age had blanched his hair. : such as

a cooking : to scald or parboil in water or steam in order to remove the skin from, whiten, or stop enzymatic action in (such as food for freezing) blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water

b : to bleach by excluding light blanch the leaves of a plant

c : to make ashen or pale fear blanches the cheek

intransitive verb

: to become white or pale (as from shock or fear) His face blanched with horror. —often used figuratively to describe a reaction of shock or dismay that makes someone unwilling or reluctant to proceed Civilians also saw benefits to the system but blanched when talk then included references to $300-plus user fees.— Dan Fales… the managers of the companies blanched at the expenditures necessary to retool factories.— Charles C. Mann

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Examples of blanch in a Sentence

Blanch the potatoes before slicing them. a cup of blanched almonds She blanched and remained silent when the store owner accused her of taking the money.

Recent Examples on the Web

The youngest of the Kardashian was spotted yesterday in Calabasas with her blanched chop combed into a neat knot secured at the nape of the neck. — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, "Kylie Jenner Ditches Her Extensions in Favor of the New Power Ponytail," 14 Aug. 2018 Ishikawa pairs sweet crab with blanched rape blossoms and two kinds of fish roe, and shrimp with maitake mushroom and lotus root. — Melinda Joe, Condé Nast Traveler, "22 Best Places for Sushi in Tokyo," 27 Feb. 2018 In lieu of a table decorated with ghost confetti and Pinteresty blanched pumpkins, channel something more Dickensian. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "Can Halloween Home Decor Be Chic? These Items Make the Case," 26 Oct. 2018 Then that moment when the local law enforcement official, face blanched by the sorrow of what must be imparted, appears before cameras. — Dan Barry, New York Times, "Gunfire Erupts at a School. Leaders Offer Prayers. Children Are Buried. Repeat.," 15 Feb. 2018 Kelley says your other option is to blanch the nuts to fully remove the skin. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, "How to Make Nut Butter With Any Kind of Nut," 9 Nov. 2018 Some of Breed’s supporters saw her removal as a coup orchestrated by members of the board’s progressive faction, many of whom were Leno and Kim supporters who blanched at the prospect of allowing Breed to benefit from the power of the incumbency. — Dominic Fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle, "Breed takes lead over Leno, Kim in earliest returns for SF mayor’s race," 5 June 2018 Add the onions and fennel bulbs, and blanch until tender, about 10 minutes. — Daniel Boulud, ELLE Decor, "Leg of Lamb with Spring Vegetables Recipe," 7 Apr. 2010 But that move rankled some of the board’s progressive faction, who blanched at the prospect of electing their next president while moderates still hold a 6-5 majority. — Dominic Fracassa, SFChronicle.com, "SF supervisors elect Malia Cohen their president as Breed moves to mayor," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blanch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.