overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

blur.

To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˈblɜː/Australia, Received-Pronunciation/bləː/British, Southern, Standard/blɝ/General-American/blʌɾ/Scotland
  1. To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim.

    to blur a photograph (by moving the camera while taking it)
  2. To smear, stain or smudge.

    to blur a manuscript (by handling it while damp)
  3. To become indistinct.

    intransitive
  4. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken.

  5. To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation.

    obsolete · transitive
  6. To transfer the input focus away from.

    transitive
  7. To use a sign, image, expression, etc. sufficiently close to a trademarked one that it causes confusion between them.

Where this word comes from

From earlier blurre, probably an alteration of blear, from Middle English bleren, from Old English *blerian (attested in āblered (“made bare, made bald”)), from Proto-West Germanic *blaʀjan, from Proto-Germanic *blazjaną (“to make pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“pale”). Compare Scots blore, bloar (“to blur, cover with blots”), Low German bleeroged (“blear-eyed”). More at blear.

noun/ˈblɜː/Australia, Received-Pronunciation/bləː/British, Southern, Standard/blɝ/General-American/blʌɾ/Scotland
  1. A smear, smudge or blot.

    countable · uncountable
  2. Something that appears hazy or indistinct.

    countable · uncountable
    The surroundings went by in a blur.
  3. Haziness, blurriness.

    uncountable
  4. A moral stain or blot.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From earlier blurre, probably an alteration of blear, from Middle English bleren, from Old English *blerian (attested in āblered (“made bare, made bald”)), from Proto-West Germanic *blaʀjan, from Proto-Germanic *blazjaną (“to make pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“pale”). Compare Scots blore, bloar (“to blur, cover with blots”), Low German bleeroged (“blear-eyed”). More at blear.

adj/ˈblɜː/Australia, Received-Pronunciation/bləː/British, Southern, Standard/blɝ/General-American/blʌɾ/Scotland
  1. Lacking awareness; clueless or confused.

    Manglish · Singlish
Where this word comes from

From earlier blurre, probably an alteration of blear, from Middle English bleren, from Old English *blerian (attested in āblered (“made bare, made bald”)), from Proto-West Germanic *blaʀjan, from Proto-Germanic *blazjaną (“to make pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“pale”). Compare Scots blore, bloar (“to blur, cover with blots”), Low German bleeroged (“blear-eyed”). More at blear.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

blur has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

blur studioblur workshello, blur

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.