blush

noun \ ˈbləsh \

Definition of blush

1 :outward appearance :view

at first blush

2 :a reddening of the face especially from shame, modesty, or confusion

3 :a red or rosy tint

4 :a cosmetic applied to the face to give a usually pink color or to accent the cheekbones

—

blushful

play \-fəl\ adjective

See blush defined for English-language learners

Examples of blush in a Sentence

The comment brought a blush to her cheeks.
The fruit is yellow, with a blush of pink.
She put on a little lipstick and blush.

Recent Examples of blush from the Web

BOSTON — New England’s fall foliage forecast is looking so fine it’s enough to make a maple leaf blush.

— Washington Post, "‘Spectacular’ autumn foliage is forecast for New England," 18 Aug. 2017
Smashing things may not seem at first blush to be a winning idea to wrap a business around.

— penelope green, New York Times, "Anger Rooms Are All the Rage. Timidly, We Gave One a Whack.," 9 Aug. 2017
Although the fossil looks a bit like a gibbon skull on first blush, Nengo says, its dental pattern and teeth shape suggest its closest relatives are other Miocene fossil primates from the genus Nyanzapithecus, also found in Kenya.

— michael price, Science | AAAS, "Ancient infant ape skull sheds light on the ancestor of all humans and living apes," 9 Aug. 2017
Instead, Kelsey decided on a navy blue and blush pink color scheme with silver accents.

— tara massouleh, AL.com, "CMT reality star weds Birmingham native in Alabama wedding," 26 July 2017
And at first blush there has been much activity: a big speech by Mrs May at Lancaster House in January; several government white papers; bills introduced in Parliament; and the start of formal Brexit negotiations in Brussels.

— The Economist, "The six flavours of Brexit," 22 July 2017
The shooting death of DuBose was captured on Tensing's body cam video, shocking many at first blush for its apparent suddenness.

— byron mccauley, Cincinnati.com, "McCauley: In Tensing case, race is the elephant in the room," 18 July 2017
At first blush, all these seem to imply a need for both frontier and customs controls at the Irish border.

— The Economist, "How a hard Irish border could return, courtesy of Brexit," 13 July 2017
A lot of blush plus a white wig and baby blue contacts make this look so on-point. 2.

— maya allen, Cosmopolitan, "Here's 35 Beauty Tutorials of All the Halloween Makeup Inspo You'll Ever Need," 13 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of blush

Middle English, probably from blusshen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

blush Synonyms

Synonyms

bloom, color, flush

Related Words

brightness, brilliance, glow; pinkness, reddishness, redness, rosiness, ruddiness, sanguineness

Near Antonyms

paleness, pallidness, pallor, pastiness, wanness, whiteness; greenishness, greenness, sallowness

blush

verb

Definition of blush

intransitive verb

1 :to become red in the face especially from shame, modesty, or confusion

2 :to feel shame or embarrassment

3 :to have a rosy or fresh color :bloom

See blush defined for English-language learners

See blush defined for kids

Examples of blush in a Sentence

He blushed at the compliment.
I blush to admit it, but you've caught me in an error.

Recent Examples of blush from the Web

Brush both sides of the pork with oil and season with the salt and pepper, then grill until just slightly blush in the center and grill marks have formed, 2 minutes per side.

— ellie krieger, charlotteobserver, "Pork, peanuts and pesto – a healthful trifecta," 1 Aug. 2017
One of the many amusements, many of them completely unintended, that has accompanied reading the New York Times over the decades has been observing the way the Gray Lady squirms and blushes when confronted with profanity.

— kyle smith, National Review, "When the New York Times Decides to Spell Out Profanity," 28 July 2017
Brush both sides of the pork with oil and season with the salt and pepper, then grill until just slightly blush in the center and grill marks have formed, 2 minutes per side.

— sacbee, "Pork, peanuts and pesto – a healthful trifecta," 25 July 2017
This blushing slab, cooked medium rare as requested, was mouthwatering.

— suzanne loudermilk, baltimoresun.com, "South Baltimore's Minnow restaurant can swim with the big fish," 29 June 2017
In essence, the team turned the baker’s yeast into a biosensor that blushes tomato red upon detection of C. albicans.

— ryan cross, Science | AAAS, "How scientists are combatting deadly fungus—with baker’s yeast," 28 June 2017
But blush wine (another name for rose) is made from the same grapes used in reds.

— eric velasco, AL.com, "Drink rose all day-and all summer," 28 June 2017
But most release both eggs and sperm, packed together in round, buoyant bundles as small as peppercorns and blushed in shades of pink, orange, and yellow.

— ferris jabr, Smithsonian, "How Moonlight Sets Nature’s Rhythms," 22 June 2017
Home furnishings were blushing at the Spring High Point Market.

— patricia sheridan, star-telegram.com, "Think pink for interiors while it’s hot," 15 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of blush

Middle English blusshen, from Old English blyscan to redden; akin to Old English blȳsa flame, Old High German bluhhen to burn brightly

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

blush Synonyms

Synonyms

bloom, color, crimson, flush, glow, redden, turn color

Related Words

incarnadine, rouge, ruddle; abash, chagrin, discomfit, disconcert, embarrass, faze, humiliate, mortify

BLUSH Defined for English Language Learners

blush

noun

Definition of blush for English Language Learners

: the red color that spreads over your face when you are ashamed, embarrassed, confused, etc.
: a slight red or pink color
: a cream or powder that some people put on their cheeks to make their cheeks pink or reddish

blush

verb

Definition of blush for English Language Learners

: to become red in your face because you are ashamed, embarrassed, confused, etc.
: to be embarrassed

BLUSH Defined for Kids

blush

verb \ ˈbləsh \

Definition of blush for Students

blushed; blushing

1 :to become red in the face from shame, confusion, or embarrassment

2 :to feel ashamed or embarrassed

… the explanation is one that I blush to have to offer you.
—Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped

blush

noun

Definition of blush for Students

plural blushes

1 :a reddening of the face from shame, confusion, or embarrassment

2 :a rosy color

Medical Dictionary

blush

intransitive verb \ ˈbləsh \

medical Definition of blush

:to become red in the face especially from shame, modesty, or confusion

—

blush

noun

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

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Definition of blush

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Origin and Etymology of blush

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Synonyms

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blush

Definition of blush

Examples of blush in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of blush

blush Synonyms

Synonyms

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BLUSH Defined for English Language Learners

blush

Definition of blush for English Language Learners

blush

Definition of blush for English Language Learners

BLUSH Defined for Kids

blush

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blush

Definition of blush for Students

Medical Dictionary

blush

medical Definition of blush

blush

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