blur

play

noun \ ˈblər \

Definition of blur

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

See blur defined for English-language learners

See blur defined for kids

Recent Examples of blur from the Web

Much of the year before surgery is a blur, Stansel said.

— laurel andrews, Alaska Dispatch News, "After kidney donation, Alaska Airlines pilot and flight attendant are back in the air," 27 Aug. 2017
Faith & Action Project awards $125,000 in grants to poverty-fighting programs, including a tiny wood shop on the east side For Vincent Mader, high school and the years after were a blur.

— maureen c. gilmer, Indianapolis Star, "Indy furniture maker gives addicts, others a second chance," 17 Aug. 2017
Those first few days after the shooting are still a confusing blur.

— monique judge, The Root, "Mike Brown, Ferguson, Mo., and How the Movement to Save Black Lives Changed the Way I Do Journalism," 9 Aug. 2017
It's been a blur,'' Doherty's mother, Lisa Galatoire, said one recent afternoon.

— bob warren, NOLA.com, "I-10 lane closures near La.-Miss. line coming this weekend," 18 July 2017
The last five months have been a blur of rushed and secret bills, backroom deals, intra-party revolts, deteriorating public opinion, and a president who waffles weekly about his most basic stances on health policy.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "Repeal, Replace, or Delay?," 18 July 2017
New Jersey Ties The Agalarovs’ political ties blur into the personal in their hometown of Baku.

— ilya arkhipov, Bloomberg.com, "Email Chain Turns Focus to Trump’s Miss Universe Ally in Moscow," 13 July 2017
Not all lives unravel into a blur of sippy cups forever.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "Ask Polly: I’m Terrified of Having Kids!," 12 July 2017
Much of it remains a blur of mania exacerbated by drugs and alcohol.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "'I was just gone.' After manic episode, Lebowski Fest founder Will Russell embraces recovery," 5 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of blur

perhaps akin to Middle English bleren to blear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1519

See Words from the same year

blur

verb

Definition of blur

blurred; blurring

transitive verb

1 :to obscure or blemish by smearing

windows blurred by fingerprints

2 :sully

… an act that blurs the grace and blush of modesty.
—Shakespeare

3 :to make dim, indistinct, or vague in outline or character

His vision was blurred.

digitally blur the edges of photographs

bluring the line between fact and fiction

4 :to make cloudy or confused

time had begun to blur her senses
—W. A. White

intransitive verb

1 :to make blurs

… the moths tapped and blurred at the window screen …
—R. P. Warren

2 :to become vague or indistinct

distinctions between the two are beginning to blur

—

blurringly

play \ˈblər-iŋ-lē\ adverb

See blur defined for English-language learners

Examples of blur in a Sentence

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 of blur from the Web

Along with the fireworks there were actual fires, blasts of smoke, streams of confetti, retina-blurring lighting, spastic animations, brain-numbing predictability and very bad singing.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Best and worst of Summerfest Day 6: Hip hop reigns supreme while EDM acts fall," 5 July 2017
SCHIAPARELLI'S LOVE OF ART TURNS DIAPHANOUS Elsa Schiaparelli has famously blurred the lines between fashion and art.

— thomas adamson, Detroit Free Press, "Art mixes with the aquatic for Paris Couture Week," 3 July 2017
SCHIAPARELLI'S LOVE OF ART TURNS DIAPHANOUS Elsa Schiaparelli has famously blurred the lines between fashion and art.

— thomas adamson, Detroit Free Press, "Art mixes with the aquatic for Paris Couture Week," 3 July 2017
Experiencing Love, onstage or on CD, in the gossip pages or on the Internet (where, most recently, she was bitterly railed against Morissette), one can’t help but notice that the line between her art and her life is hopelessly blurred.

— kim france, Daily Intelligencer, "Feminism Rocks," 30 June 2017
Because personal and professional boundaries are also blurred, Airbnb also faced discrimination complaints according to Arun Sundararajan, author of The Sharing Economy and NYU professor.

— lisa fu, Fortune, "Airbnb Is Bringing Money to Rural America," 29 June 2017
But the dysfunction ran so deep that one incident blurred into the next.

— nathaniel friedman, GQ, "What Firing Phil Jackson Means for the Knicks," 28 June 2017
Apply color to the center of lips and brush outwards, blurring and blotting the edges for a very soft focus look.

— sable yong, Allure, "Korean Makeup Artist, Ko Won Hye Breaks Down The Chok Chok K-Beauty Look," 22 June 2017
The lines have been blurred, particularly in the case of the all-new Honda Odyssey, which shares a platform with the company’s three-row crossover, the Pilot.

— drew dorian, Car and Driver, "2018 Honda Odyssey 10-speed Automatic," 21 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of blur

see ¹blur

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1520

See Words from the same year

blur Synonyms

Synonyms

becloud, befog, confuse, cloud, fog, muddy, obfuscate

Antonyms

clarify, clear (up), illuminate

Related Words

complicate, perplex, sophisticate; entangle, snarl, tangle; disarrange, disarray, discompose, dishevel, disorder, disrupt, disturb, jumble, mess (up), mix (up), muddle, scramble, shuffle, tousle, upset

Near Antonyms

simplify, streamline; disentangle, straighten (out), undo, unravel, unscramble, untangle; decipher, decode; analyze, break down

BLUR Defined for English Language Learners

blur

play

noun

Definition of blur for English Language Learners

: something that you cannot see clearly
: something that is difficult to remember

blur

verb

Definition of blur for English Language Learners

: to make (something) unclear or difficult to see or remember
: to become unclear or difficult to see or remember

BLUR Defined for Kids

blur

play

noun \ ˈblər \

Definition of blur for Students

1 :something that cannot be seen clearly

The ball was moving so fast, all I saw was a blur.

2 :something that is difficult to remember

By now, my summer vacation is a blur.

blur

verb

Definition of blur for Students

blurred; blurring

1 :to make unclear or hard to see or remember Adjusting the lenses just blurred the image further.

2 :to make or become unclear or confused Time only blurred his memory of the incident.

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See words that rhyme with blur Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for blur Spanish Central: Translation of blur Nglish: Translation of blur for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of blur for Arabic speakers

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Recent Examples of blur from the Web

Origin and Etymology of blur

blur

Definition of blur

blurringly

Examples of blur in a Sentence

Recent Examples of blur from the Web

Origin and Etymology of blur

blur Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

BLUR Defined for English Language Learners

blur

Definition of blur for English Language Learners

blur

Definition of blur for English Language Learners

BLUR Defined for Kids

blur

Definition of blur for Students

blur

Definition of blur for Students

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