blur

blur (blɜː)

—vb , blurs, blurring, blurred
1.	to make or become vague or less distinct: heat haze blurs the hills; education blurs class distinctions
2.	to smear or smudge
3.	(tr) to make (the judgment, memory, or perception) less clear; dim

—n
4.	something vague, hazy, or indistinct
5.	a smear or smudge

[C16: perhaps variant of blear]

blurred

—*adj*

blurredly

—*adv*

'blurredness

—n

'blurriness

—n

'blurry

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

blur

1540s, akin to blear. The verb is 1580s, from the noun.

Example sentences

What is more, as computing becomes a utility, the borders between different

systems are starting to blur.

We head to the couch and pull out our laptops and work until our eyes blur the

lines on the screen.

All my birthday parties are a blur of cake and presents.

They discovered brown dwarfs, which blur the distinction between planet and

star.

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Matching Quote

"The camera has an interest in turning history into spectacle, but none in reversing the process. At best, the picture leaves a vague blur in the observer's mind; strong enough to send him into battle perhaps, but not to have him understand why he is going."

-Denis Donoghue