blear

1 of 2

verb

bleared; blearing; blears

transitive verb

1
: to make (the eyes) sore or watery
2
: dim, blur

blear

2 of 2

adjective

1
: dim with water or tears
2
: obscure to the view or imagination

Examples of blear in a Sentence

Verb her image was bleared, as if I were staring at it through a watery lens Adjective I can't describe him; all I saw was a blear figure for an instant.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Toppling trees At 5:46 p.m. Saturday, the tornado warning bleared through thousands of smartphones in the Fort Lauderdale area. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bleren, probably from Old English *blerian; akin to Low German bleer-oged bleary-eyed

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blear was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near blear

Cite this Entry

“Blear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blear. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blear

1 of 2 verb
1
: to make (the eyes) sore or watery
2
: dim entry 2 sense 1, blur
bleared sight

blear

2 of 2 adjective
: dim with water or tears
bleary
ˈbli(ə)r-ē
adjective

Medical Definition

blear

1 of 2 transitive verb
: to make (the eyes) sore or watery

blear

2 of 2 adjective
: dim with water or tears
blear-eyed adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on blear

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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