blur

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A blur is when things are unclear or fuzzy, like trying to see a picture that's been smeared with water.

When we talk about something being a blur, it usually means we can't quite make out what's going on. For example, if you're driving down the highway and another car suddenly cuts in front of you, for a split second everything becomes a blur - the lights, the road, even your own thoughts. You might say, "I was so surprised I couldn't see what was happening." Sometimes we use the word to describe memories that are hazy or unclear too. If someone says, "My childhood is a bit of a blur," they mean they don't remember much about it.

How common is "blur"?

Word blur is considered uncommon in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

verb

To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim.
Example: to blur a photograph (by moving the camera while taking it)
To smear, stain or smudge.
Example: to blur a manuscript (by handling it while damp)
(intransitive) To become indistinct.
To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken.
(obsolete, transitive) To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation.
(graphical user interface, transitive) To transfer the input focus away from.
(copyright law) To use a sign, image, expression, etc. sufficiently close to a trademarked one that it causes confusion between them.