blur

noun

\ˈblər

Definition of blur

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

blur

verb

blurred; blurring

Definition of blur (Entry 2 of 2)

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

1a : to make blurs … the moths tapped and blurred at the window screen …— 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

2 : to become vague or indistinct distinctions between the two are beginning to blur

Other Words from blur Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about blur

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Synonyms & Antonyms for blur

Synonyms: Verb

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

Antonyms: Verb

clarify, clear (up), illuminate

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 Web: Noun

The rest of the ride was a sweaty blur of tanker trucks thundering past me on cratered asphalt. — Nestor Ramos, BostonGlobe.com, "Hassled by hound, blasted by leafblower: One man’s sweaty bike share adventure," 22 June 2018 Heidi Richmond's kitchen is about to become a blur of peanut butter and jelly. — Lily Altavena, azcentral, "Teachers and volunteers are making sure 600,000 students don’t go hungry during walkout," 25 Apr. 2018 The weeks that followed my initial diagnosis were a blur of appointments including meeting with a breast surgeon, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist and plastic surgeon. — Alex Whitaker, PEOPLE.com, "This 24-Year-Old Found a Breast Cancer Lump While Getting Ready for a Night Out," 25 Apr. 2018 In scenes where Gary Oldman, as Winston Churchill, addresses Parliament, the room is a blur of men in dark suits with columns of smoky light cutting through the air. — Robin Givhan, chicagotribune.com, "When it comes to movie costumes, the Academy has always favored fantasy," 4 Mar. 2018 Any movement of the camera will make the light trails and other objects in the scene look like blurs, but this feature can also be used to great creative effect. — Wired Staff, WIRED, "How to Take Awesome Photos of Fireworks," 3 July 2018 His pause for introspection was unusual and somewhat unexpected: The Rockets’ star loves nothing more than blowing off invasive questions, and his recent schedule has been a disorienting blur of Things Famous People Do. — Ben Golliver, SI.com, "From Sixth Man to MVP: James Harden Reflects on Steady Climb to NBA Mountain Top," 26 June 2018 Glimpses of hair are starting to appear beneath headscarves, the lines segregating men from women are beginning to blur, and the government is slowly retreating from its once vigorous intrusion into women’s lives. — Washington Post, "Saudi women on the front line of change," 17 June 2018 As Mickle releases his dog, Roger becomes a brown blur. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "B-52 Bombers Could Quadruple Their Wing Bomb Loads," 25 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

By blurring the line between honest content and advertising, and by keeping those who pay for ads secret, Facebook has gotten rich, and deceived Americans. — Justin Choi, Philly.com, "Hey Mark Zuckerberg: A software CEO describes how Facebook can fix its ugly ad problem," 10 Apr. 2018 Futuristic and fluid were just two descriptors that characterized the Spring 2019 Menswear runways, which resonated with an inclusive ethos that blurred international borders and genders alike, making closets more sharable than ever. — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, "6 Beauty Tricks to Steal from the Mens Runways, From Glitter Bangs to Straight Edge Bobs," 25 June 2018 Azealia serves up one of her best dance floor diva impressions yet while blurring the line between hip-hop and club bop. — Jon Ali, Billboard, "Queer Necessities: Billboard Pride's May 2018 Playlist," 1 May 2018 The rules result in a number of scenarios that rob participants of their own agency, blurring the line between truth and omission of the truth. — Ella Cerón, Teen Vogue, "Tyler Posey on “Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare” and Why He Loves Horror," 12 Apr. 2018 That is a problem in a country that has blurred the boundaries between party and state. — The Economist, "The EU is tolerating—and enabling—authoritarian kleptocracy in Hungary," 5 Apr. 2018 Some scientists believe that there isn't really a way to differentiate between brown dwarfs and gas giants, blurring the line between planet and star. — Sophie Weiner, Popular Mechanics, "Are Brown Dwarfs Planets or Failed Stars?," 24 Mar. 2018 Children do blur the boundaries between smart speakers and humans, with varying effects based on their stage of development. — Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ, "Alexa: Don’t Let My 2-Year-Old Talk to You That Way," 10 July 2018 The back surgery Porter underwent in November 2017 blurred the future of the 6-foot-10 forward who was once a contender to go first overall in this draft. — Alex Schiffer, kansascity, "Missouri's Michael Porter Jr. falls to No. 14 in NBA draft, selected by Denver Nuggets," 21 June 2018

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.