to make something, or to become, difficult to see clearly
The rain on the window blurred the city lights.
Without my glasses, the words on the page blur.
✦ From Old English ‘blurian’, probably of imitative origin, related to ‘blurry’.
a shape, mark, or area that cannot be seen clearly
Through the fog, the lighthouse was only a faint blur.
I saw a blur on the photograph where the subject moved.
to make the difference between two things less clear
Online learning can blur the line between school and home.
The new policy blurs the distinction between employees and contractors.
a period or memory that you cannot remember clearly
The night after the surgery is a complete blur to me.
Exam week went by in a blur.
not clear or sharp in appearance; difficult to see because of lack of focus or detail
After swimming without his glasses, everything looked blurry to Jake.
The photographer deleted the picture because it was too blurry to use.
✦ From the verb “blur” (early 17th c.) + the adjectival suffix “-y,” meaning “full of or characterized by.”
not clearly defined or easy to understand; vague or indistinct in meaning, memory, or boundary
My memories of kindergarten are a bit blurry now.
The company’s plans for next year are still blurry at this stage.
✦ Same origin as the primary sense: derivative of “blur” with suffix “-y,” extending the idea of visual indistinctness to thoughts and concepts.
