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 WebManuel 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
The takeover continued with a blur of highlights immediately after halftime.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Everything is focused on her reactions; even the backgrounds are a blur.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024
These interactions occur on two interrelated dimensions: Business ecosystems:
As technology disruption blurs industry and supply chain boundaries, lower transaction costs boost leading companies’ ability to participate in business ecosystems.
—Mohamed Kande and Lang Davidson Of Pwc, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024
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
But the party over the decades tried to blur its connections to the Stroessner regime and reinvented itself as a conservative political machine that had been accused of vote-buying and other tactics to remain in power.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Lines between reality and virtual reality were becoming blurred, and writer/director siblings Lilly and Lana Wachowski captured the thrills and anxiety of the era with a groundbreaking feature that brought their comic book sensibilities to the big screen.
—Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Mea Culpa: Criminal defense attorney Mea Harper navigates a complex murder case, where determining her client's innocence reveals a web of secrets and desires, blurring lines between guilt and seduction.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Now, this skin-enhancing and blurring foundation stick joins the fray, thanks to its flawless finish and range of shades.
—Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024
Rather, the political backdrop is evoked to elevate the film’s tragedy and blur the righteousness of its characters, many of whom are possessed by a moral obligation to commit acts of violence.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
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
The takeover continued with a blur of highlights immediately after halftime.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Everything is focused on her reactions; even the backgrounds are a blur.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024
These interactions occur on two interrelated dimensions: Business ecosystems:
As technology disruption blurs industry and supply chain boundaries, lower transaction costs boost leading companies’ ability to participate in business ecosystems.
—Mohamed Kande and Lang Davidson Of Pwc, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
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
But the party over the decades tried to blur its connections to the Stroessner regime and reinvented itself as a conservative political machine that had been accused of vote-buying and other tactics to remain in power.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Lines between reality and virtual reality were becoming blurred, and writer/director siblings Lilly and Lana Wachowski captured the thrills and anxiety of the era with a groundbreaking feature that brought their comic book sensibilities to the big screen.
—Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Mea Culpa: Criminal defense attorney Mea Harper navigates a complex murder case, where determining her client's innocence reveals a web of secrets and desires, blurring lines between guilt and seduction.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Now, this skin-enhancing and blurring foundation stick joins the fray, thanks to its flawless finish and range of shades.
—Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024
Rather, the political backdrop is evoked to elevate the film’s tragedy and blur the righteousness of its characters, many of whom are possessed by a moral obligation to commit acts of violence.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 28 Mar. 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 19 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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