blemish

verb

blem·ish | \ ˈble-mish

blemished; blemishing; blemishes

Definition of blemish

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to spoil by a flaw

blemish

noun

Definition of blemish (Entry 2 of 2)

: a noticeable imperfection especially : one that seriously impairs appearance

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about blemish

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Examples of blemish in a Sentence

Verb

A series of burn marks blemish the table's surface. The incident blemished his reputation.

Noun

The cream is supposed to prevent blemishes on the skin. The table had a few scratches and minor blemishes. The book fails to mention any of the organization's many blemishes. The incident was a blemish on his record.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But his record, in the eyes of some in the Confederacy, was blemished, Quigley said, after Stuart fell out of touch with Confederate forces during the Battle of Gettysburg — the bloodiest and one of the most decisive Civil War battles. — Debbie Truong, Washington Post, "The Confederate commander behind one of the greatest ‘what ifs’ of the Civil War," 7 July 2018 Uniform bezels surround the touchscreen, blemished only by the 2MP front-facing camera at the top bezel and the Yoga Book logo on the bottom-right corner. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Lenovo Yoga Book 2018 review: The keyless keyboard returns, now in E Ink," 2 Nov. 2018 The Super Tucano has a safety record previously blemished by only two crashes since entering operation in 2003. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Air Force “light attack” test aircraft crashes on bomb range, killing pilot," 26 June 2018 This solace can come from someone else's unfiltered photo evidencing their blemished skin in its natural state, or from posting their own pictures and receiving uplifting messages of support and solidarity in the comments section. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "What the Skin-Acceptance Movement Means for People With Conditions Like Mine," 29 June 2018 Reds starter Sal Romano countered with eight innings, his evening blemished only by Hunter Dozier’s 425-foot solo home run in the fifth inning. — Sam Mcdowell, kansascity, "Royals waste Ian Kennedy's best outing of 2018 in loss to Reds," 12 June 2018 Don Christensen, a former Air Force chief prosecutor, told The Washington Post that even with no official punishment, the episode will likely permanently blemish their career. — Alex Horton, Washington Post, "The Pentagon answered some questions about the Niger ambush. Many more remain.," 11 May 2018 The 27-year-old nonprofit teams up with farms to collect blemished or oddly sized produce that can not be sold — and distributes the food to local communities. — Lauren Delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Stamp Out Hunger during national food drive May 12," 8 May 2018 Only a trip to Kansas City and Baltimore blemish a run from the first week of October through Dec. 9 where the Bengals sleep in their own beds every night. — Paul Dehner Jr., Cincinnati.com, "The best and worst of the 2018 Cincinnati Bengals regular season schedule," 19 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The only blemish on Haskins’ resume is the inexplicable 49-20 loss at unranked Purdue Oct. 20. — Mitch Stacy, The Seattle Times, "Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins declares for NFL draft," 7 Jan. 2019 As for blemishes and dark spots, fingers really aren't the best concealing tool. — Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, "How to Apply Concealer the Right Way, According to Pros," 10 Dec. 2018 Please see butt acne and vaginal acne as exhibits A and B. But those aren't even the oddest spots for blemishes. — Macaela Mackenzie, Allure, "Ear Pimples Are Real — Here's How to Get Rid of Them," 19 Sep. 2018 The Verdict While there's nothing wrong with using concealer first, the majority of these makeup artists would advise applying a light layer of foundation beforehand to even out the complexion and reduce the appearance of blemishes. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Should You Apply Concealer or Foundation First? Here’s What Makeup Artists Say," 30 Aug. 2018 The display looks great, without any of the grainy blemishes that have plagued some OLED panels in the past. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "OnePlus 6T Review: Amazing value with an even more amazing fingerprint reader," 29 Oct. 2018 Any buyer would appreciate knowing upfront about any defects a piece of furniture might have, so don't shy away from posting close-up images of blemishes. — Monique Valeris, ELLE Decor, "An Expert's Top Advice for Selling Furniture Online," 13 Sep. 2018 Like a surgeon giving himself a wide margin around a tumor, workers cut large rectangles of pavement around these asphalt blemishes before filling them in again. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "From potholes to perfect pavement: My neighborhood has lovely new streets," 24 June 2018 Even without Facebook’s current predicament, the history of big consumer tech companies dealing with medical data is not without blemish. — David Meyer, Fortune, "Facebook Decides Now's Not a Great Time to Harvest Patients' Medical Data," 6 Apr. 2018

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

History and Etymology for blemish

Verb

Middle English blemisshen, to damage, injure, sully, from Anglo-French blemiss-, stem of blemir, blesmir, from Old French, literally, to make pale by wounding, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German blasros horse with a blaze, Old Norse blesi blaze — more at blaze

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