blotch

1 of 2

verb

blotched; blotching; blotches

transitive verb

: to mark or mar with blotches

blotch

2 of 2

noun

1
2
: a spot or mark (as of color or ink) especially when large or irregular
blotchily adverb
blotchy adjective

Examples of blotch in a Sentence

Verb blotched the bedroom walls with various shades of blue to give them a textured effect my pen leaked and blotched my shirt pocket Noun blotches on the tree's leaves a dog with a single small blotch of black
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
His guests, their faces blotched from exertion, stare upward in dismay. Thomas Palmer, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Still, in the contents of this collection, some blotched with stray fingerprints or grease splatters, O’Keeffe left traces of her daily effort to maintain Abiquiu as a sanctuary. Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2020
Noun
The horse chestnut leaf blotch pathogen overwinters as fruiting bodies in leaves infected during the previous season. Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2024 This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for blotch 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps blend of blot entry 1 and botch entry 2

First Known Use

Verb

1604, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1619, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blotch was in 1604

Dictionary Entries Near blotch

Cite this Entry

“Blotch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blotch. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

blotch

noun
ˈbläch
1
2
: a large irregular spot (as of color or ink)
blotch verb
blotched
ˈblächt
adjective
blotchy
ˈbläch-ē
adjective

Medical Definition

blotch

noun
: a discolored patch on the skin
the face and neck were covered with large reddish blotches
blotch transitive verb
blotchy adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on blotch

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!