blur

Cognate to blear; the verb is from the noun.

• IPA^(key): /blɜ(ɹ)/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

blur (third-person singular simple present blurs, present participle blurring, simple past and past participle blurred)

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. (intransitive) To become indistinct.
4. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken.
   • (Can we date this quote?) J. R. Drake

     Her eyes are blurred with the lightning's glare.

5. (obsolete, transitive) To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Samuel Butler, Hudibras

     Sarcasms may eclipse thine own, / But cannot blur my lost renown.

6. (graphical user interface, transitive) To transfer the input focus away from.
   • (Can we date this quote?) John Pollock, JavaScript: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition (page 175)

     Then give this box focus to blur the first one: […]

   • 2001, Martin Webb, ‎Michel Plungjan, ‎Keith Drakard, Instant JavaScript (page 678)

     These form elements need to have an onFocus event handler to blur the current focus.

   • 2007, Danny Goodman, JavaScript Bible, page 273:

     Blurring one window and focusing on another window yields the same result of sending the window to the back of the pile.

   • 2010, Chuck Easttom, Advanced Javascript, page 329:

     A manual way to blur a text object is to press the Tab key, which advances focus to the next field in order and removes it from the current field (blurring it).

• (move input focus from): unfocus

• sharpen

blur (plural blurs)

1. A smear, smudge or blot
2. Something that appears hazy or indistinct
   • 1907, Harold Bindloss, chapter 26, in The Dust of Conflict‎:

     Maccario, it was evident, did not care to take the risk of blundering upon a picket, and a man led them by twisting paths until at last the hacienda rose blackly before them. Appleby could see it dimly, a blur of shadowy buildings with the ridge of roof parapet alone cutting hard and sharp against the clearing sky.

   • 2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in The Guardian‎, archived from the original on 15 November 2016:

     The fightback when it came was in the [Roger] Federer fashion: unfussy, filled with classy strokes from the back with perfectly timed interventions at the net that confounded his opponent. The third set passed in a bit of a blur, the fourth, which led to the second tie-break, was the most dramatic of the match.

3. (obsolete) A moral stain or blot.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Nicholas Udall

     Lest she […] will with her railing set a great blur on mine honesty and good name.

• motion blur

blur (comparative more blur, superlative most blur)

1. (Malaysia, Singapore, informal) In a state of doubt or confusion.

• Burl, burl