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

During those years, nothing was permanent and friends were a blur. — Marc Myers, WSJ, "Tony Hale Turned His Childhood Anxieties Into Comic Relief," 26 Mar. 2019 Some Twitter users have even attached close-ups of the area in question that do, indeed, appear to show a little bit of blur. — Emily Wang, Allure, "People Think Kim Kardashian West Photoshopped This Photo from 19 Years Ago," 3 May 2018 Photo: Médecins Sans Frontières Six months in the unsanitary refugee shanties were a blur of visits to the doctor, slumped on his father’s back like a sack of rice, Mr. Ahmed recalled. — Niharika Mandhana, WSJ, "‘All Our Lives They Wanted to Ruin Us.’ For Decades, Myanmar Sought to Drive Out Rohingya," 23 Nov. 2018 There appears to be some heat blur behind the engine, radiating upward, to indicate that the aircraft’s turbofan engine is active. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "This Is Russia’s First Autonomous Strike Drone," 25 Jan. 2019 Response times are nearly instantaneous, and motion interpolation is great, which means the vast majority of content looks smooth and largely free of blur when things are moving onscreen. — Jeff Dunn, Ars Technica, "The Ars Holiday Gift Guide 2018—good tech for the power user in your life," 4 Dec. 2018 Baby's First Restaurant in Matunuck Knowing the first few weeks of our son's life would be a blur of feedings and Target runs, my husband split his paternity leave in two, reserving the second half for a family getaway. — Jordi Lippe-mcgraw, Condé Nast Traveler, "Maternity Moons Are Now a Thing," 28 Nov. 2018 Now as her vision blurs, a tingling sensation slowly moves upward from her right hand through her arm and sometimes into her face and tongue—a sign that blinding head pain is about to strike. — R. Allan Purdy, Scientific American, "Can Anything Stop My Migraine?," 1 May 2017 Google This feature also taps into a burst of multiple images, and then uses Google’s Pixel Visual Core chip to composite a blur-free photo. — Jon Phillips, PCWorld, "Google Pixel 3: The 5 features that matter most," 9 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

According to research from the National Association of Realtors, while 19 percent of home purchases were purely investment-based, more and more owners are blurring the lines. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "How vacation homes went from private escape to investment opportunities," 2 Oct. 2018 Burberry, which built a $3.8-billion-a-year business selling a muted output of cashmere scarves and trench coats, will now be helmed by an Italian designer whose intricate lace-and-sequin gowns often blur the line between red carpet and lingerie. — Robert Williams, Bloomberg.com, "Burberry Turns to a Designer Who Befriended the Kardashians," 1 Mar. 2018 With the 450-hp engine now a $12,350 option on the Carrera S, the company is further blurring the distinctions. — Steve Siler, Car and Driver, "2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS Manual," 28 Feb. 2018 In particular, makeup artist Tom Pecheux's extreme, out-to-there feline flicks and backstage pro Duffy's vast array of downtown cool hairstyles, which insouciantly blurred the lines between masculine and feminine. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "Saint Laurent Puts on a Stunning Display of Cool, Gender-Neutral Hair in Paris," 26 Feb. 2019 Former and current executives said Mr. Plank’s use of the jet and his relationship with Ms. Ruhle were among the many ways the CEO blurred the distinction between his personal activities and Under Armour. — Khadeeja Safdar, WSJ, "Meet Under Armour CEO’s Unusual Adviser: An MSNBC Anchor," 21 Feb. 2019 The shadows also include mica to blur imperfections by reflecting light, while titanium dioxide protects your skin from harmful UV rays. — Tanisha Pina, Allure, "Dermstore’s Massive Labor Day Beauty Sale Has Already Started — Here’s What to Shop," 28 Aug. 2018 The latest actions show how lines and motives in American politics can blur among foreign adversaries, U.S. dirty-tricksters, pranksters or speculators hoping eventually to sell the web addresses to campaigns or their rivals. — Tami Abdollah, The Seattle Times, "Mystery: Who bought websites implying US senators ‘for sale’," 24 July 2018 But as Grover tells it, Rabin started blurring the patient-therapist boundary. — Felice J. Freyer, BostonGlobe.com, "She accused her psychologist of sexual misconduct. The board found her credible, but he still has a license to practice.," 4 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.