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
blurred; blurring
1
: to obscure or blemish by smearing
windows blurred by fingerprints
2
: sully
… an act that blurs the grace and blush of modesty.—
Shakespeare
Shakespeare3
: 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
W. A. White1
a
: to make blurs
… the moths tapped and blurred at the window screen …—R. P. Warren
R. P. 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
Adrian McKinty2
: to become vague or indistinct
distinctions between the two are beginning to blur
Synonyms
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 WebKelvin Chan, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
The entire experience was a blur, with days and nights running together.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Much of the fast-and-loose trajectories of their careers feels like somewhat of a blur to Xavier and Nett, but their 30-year-old manager Rennessy, who’s worked with underground artists like SpaceGhostPurrp since 2014, holds certain memories close.
—Hattie Lindert, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024
All too quickly the scene devolves into a violent blur.
—Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
But where Cassavetes artfully constructed Myrtle and built an intriguing blur between what is happening in her head and in the play being rehearsed, the blur here topples into a mess.
—David Benedict, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
But with 2020 a traumatic blur, Trump seems to have become the beneficiary of our collective amnesia, and Biden the repository for lingering emotional discontent.
—George Makari, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
As the line separating right-of-center comedians from Fox News hosts blurs to nonexistence—and as Jon Stewart returns to rant against partisan myopia on The Daily Show—Gillis makes no claim to being wiser than anyone.
—TIME, 23 Feb. 2024
But that requires a directorial clarity that’s lacking here, and the underwritten book and unfocused staging means the combination merely blurs.
—David Benedict, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 24 Apr. 2024
The voice inside Boy’s head comes courtesy of comedian Jon Benjamin, which purposefully blurs the line between revenge-flick mayhem and a sort of Adult Swim parody of revenge-flick mayhem.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
As for the formula, this multi-tasking product boasts glycerin and shea butter for a deeply hydrating consistency that blurs imperfections while adding a subtle sheen to the skin.
—Jennifer Chan, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Many of his heroes have also blurred the line between political operative and media personality — an increasing phenomenon online, where many young people spurn traditional news sources in favor of social media content creators.
—Meryl Kornfield, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
If these settings are in place, the images will be blurred, giving you the option to view them or not.
—Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
From a visual style that cites the wild, earth-toned cinema of New Hollywood to the motifs of American rock music and Coca-Cola, Park, who directed three episodes, illustrates how the soft power of cultural imperialism can blur battle lines.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Some high clouds may blur the show a bit in western-most New England (the Berkshires up through Vermont).
—Eric Henderson, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
The eclipse will be visible, but blurred slightly behind a layer of thin clouds.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Meta also owns Facebook and WhatsApp but the nudity blur feature won’t be added to messages sent on those platforms.
—Kelvin Chan, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
The entire experience was a blur, with days and nights running together.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Much of the fast-and-loose trajectories of their careers feels like somewhat of a blur to Xavier and Nett, but their 30-year-old manager Rennessy, who’s worked with underground artists like SpaceGhostPurrp since 2014, holds certain memories close.
—Hattie Lindert, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024
All too quickly the scene devolves into a violent blur.
—Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
But where Cassavetes artfully constructed Myrtle and built an intriguing blur between what is happening in her head and in the play being rehearsed, the blur here topples into a mess.
—David Benedict, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
But with 2020 a traumatic blur, Trump seems to have become the beneficiary of our collective amnesia, and Biden the repository for lingering emotional discontent.
—George Makari, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024
As the line separating right-of-center comedians from Fox News hosts blurs to nonexistence—and as Jon Stewart returns to rant against partisan myopia on The Daily Show—Gillis makes no claim to being wiser than anyone.
—TIME, 23 Feb. 2024
But that requires a directorial clarity that’s lacking here, and the underwritten book and unfocused staging means the combination merely blurs.
—David Benedict, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
The powder has light-reflecting properties that help diffuse skin and blur any imperfections.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 24 Apr. 2024
The voice inside Boy’s head comes courtesy of comedian Jon Benjamin, which purposefully blurs the line between revenge-flick mayhem and a sort of Adult Swim parody of revenge-flick mayhem.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024
As for the formula, this multi-tasking product boasts glycerin and shea butter for a deeply hydrating consistency that blurs imperfections while adding a subtle sheen to the skin.
—Jennifer Chan, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Many of his heroes have also blurred the line between political operative and media personality — an increasing phenomenon online, where many young people spurn traditional news sources in favor of social media content creators.
—Meryl Kornfield, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
If these settings are in place, the images will be blurred, giving you the option to view them or not.
—Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
From a visual style that cites the wild, earth-toned cinema of New Hollywood to the motifs of American rock music and Coca-Cola, Park, who directed three episodes, illustrates how the soft power of cultural imperialism can blur battle lines.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Some high clouds may blur the show a bit in western-most New England (the Berkshires up through Vermont).
—Eric Henderson, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
The eclipse will be visible, but blurred slightly behind a layer of thin clouds.
—Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blur.' 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 blur
Cite this Entry
“Blur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blur. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
blur
1 of 2 noun1
: a smear or stain that dims but does not completely cover
2
: something vague or lacking definite outline
blurry
adjective
-ē
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
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