blush

[ bluhsh ]
See synonyms for blush on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to redden, as from self-consciousness, embarrassment, or shame: He blushed when they called him a conquering hero.

  2. to feel shame or embarrassment (often followed by at or for): Your behavior makes me blush for your poor mother.

  1. (of the sky, flowers, etc.) to become rosy.

  2. (of house paint or lacquer) to become cloudy or dull through moisture or excessive evaporation of solvents.

verb (used with object)
  1. to make red; flush.

  2. to make known by a blush: She could not help blushing the truth.

noun
  1. a reddening, as of the face.

  2. rosy or pinkish tinge.

  1. Also called blusher, blush-on . a cosmetic used to add a pink or reddish color to the cheeks.

  2. Also called blush wine . rosé.

Idioms about blush

  1. at first blush, without previous knowledge or adequate consideration; at first glance: At first blush, the solution to the problem seemed simple enough.

Origin of blush

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English verb blushen, blyshen “to glow,” probably from Old English blyscan “to glow brightly, glow red”; akin to Old English blysa, blisa, Old Norse blys, Middle Low German blus “torch,” bloschen “to blaze”; noun derived from the verb

Other words for blush

Opposites for blush

Other words from blush

  • blush·ful, adjective
  • blush·ful·ly, adverb
  • blush·ful·ness, noun
  • blush·less, adjective
  • out·blush, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for blush

blush

/ (blʌʃ) /


verb
  1. (intr) to become suddenly red in the face from embarrassment, shame, modesty, or guilt; redden

  2. to make or become reddish or rosy

noun
  1. a sudden reddening of the face from embarrassment, shame, modesty, or guilt

  2. a rosy glow: the blush of a peach

  1. a reddish or pinkish tinge

  2. a cloudy area on the surface of freshly applied gloss paint

  3. at first blush when first seen; as a first impression

Origin of blush

1
Old English blӯscan; related to blӯsian to burn, Middle Low German blüsen to light a fire

Derived forms of blush

  • blushful, adjective
  • blushing, noun, adjective
  • blushingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with blush

blush

see at first blush.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.