1 blush | Definition of blush

blush

noun
\ ˈbləsh How to pronounce blush (audio) \

Definition of blush

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : outward appearance : view at first blush
2 : a reddening of the face especially from shame, modesty, or confusion
3 : a red or rosy tint
4 : a cosmetic applied to the face to give a usually pink color or to accent the cheekbones

blush

verb
blushed; blushing; blushes

Definition of blush (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to become red in the face especially from shame, modesty, or confusion
2 : to feel shame or embarrassment
3 : to have a rosy or fresh color : bloom

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from blush

Noun

blushful \ ˈbləsh-​fəl How to pronounce blushful (audio) \ adjective

Synonyms for blush

Synonyms: Noun

bloom, color, flush

Synonyms: Verb

bloom, color, crimson, flush, glow, redden

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of blush in a Sentence

Noun

The comment brought a blush to her cheeks. The fruit is yellow, with a blush of pink. She put on a little lipstick and blush.

Verb

He blushed at the compliment. I blush to admit it, but you've caught me in an error.
See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

While not obvious at first blush, this arcane minutiae carries massive consequences for American politics. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "Trump’s Quiet Attack on Redistricting," 19 Aug. 2019 Ease of air travel, tax climate and water notwithstanding, Broward doesn’t at first blush seem like the most hospitable place for someone so closely associated with Trump. — Anthony Man, sun-sentinel.com, "Fish out of water? Donald Trump’s campaign manager makes his home in the most Democratic part of Florida.," 26 July 2019 Beyond the first-blush fun of trying a new gameplay experience, what exactly does a friend add to the Wolfenstein experience? — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Wolfenstein Youngblood review: In my day, we called this an expansion pack," 25 July 2019 At first blush, this outcome looks like an unqualified win for New York City’s gun owners. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "The Supreme Court’s First Major Gun Case in a Decade," 14 Aug. 2019 At first blush, the two events seemed like opposite ends of the spectrum. — Monica Hesse, Washington Post, "What do ‘Lock her up’ and ‘Send her back’ have in common? It’s pretty obvious.," 20 July 2019 At first blush, this seems like a clever way to acquire a steady stream of paying customers in a previously untapped rider community. — Laura Forman, WSJ, "Doctor Visits Could Provide Relief to Uber and Lyft," 10 July 2019 At first blush, a Fashion Week organized around veganism admittedly sounds a little, well . . — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Vegan Fashion Week Is Coming to L.A.—And It’s About a Lot More Than Eco Leather and Faux Fur," 14 Jan. 2019 But my first blush with this about Sandman came from a surprisingly geeky source: Soulseek, one of the many peer-to-peer file-sharing apps that littered the post-Napster landscape. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "The DMCA bell did not toll for a beloved musician—thus, I could grieve him," 6 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

After exchanging vows, Bateman and Corrigan headed to their reception, which featured breathtaking decor that included chandeliers, lush greenery, and white and blush florals by Butterfly Floral. — Melody Chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Model Nick Bateman Weds Longtime Love Maria Corrigan in Romantic Malibu Celebration," 18 July 2019 Then Alondra becomes nervous again, blushing and quiet. — Leila Atassi, cleveland.com, "Alondra Rivera’s Open Table visits her Christian after-school program and meets her ‘family of choice’: A Greater Cleveland," 12 June 2019 In a post made on Thursday, August 16, Reddit user Potato_Quesodilla shared a K-Beauty product that closely mimics Glossier's line of Cloud Paint gel blushes. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Reddit Discovered a K-Beauty Dupe for Glossier’s Cloud Paint," 17 Aug. 2018 On Tinder, people blush more often, and on Facebook's trio of apps including WhatsApp and Instagram, people blow lots of kisses, Baidu found. — Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Happy World Emoji Day! These are the top 10 icons used this year on Facemoji," 17 July 2019 These give you the flush look without all the fuss, just use your fingers and blush away! — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "The Beach Makeup Ideas & Tips That Celebrity Makeup Artists Swear By," 19 June 2019 Actually, your grandpa would probably blush at some of the messages that the RM 69 shares. — Cicero Estrella, The Mercury News, "Will Drake again wear his $750,000 erotic watch at remaining Warriors-Raptors Finals games?," 12 June 2019 The princess accessorized the look with a navy clutch, a white hat, and blush pumps. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Princess Beatrice and Her Boyfriend Couple Up at Lady Gabriella Windsor's Wedding," 18 May 2019 Fall 2019 offered a few standout options for daring brides: Vera Wang’s ice-blue tulle number and jet-jeweled bra was a bold departure from bridal white, ditto Marchesa’s first-ever blush pink gown. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Fall 2019’s Top 7 Bridal Trends, from Major Sleeves to Gowns à la Meghan Markle," 19 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blush.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of blush

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for blush

Noun

Middle English, probably from blusshen

Verb

Middle English blusshen, from Old English blyscan to redden; akin to Old English blȳsa flame, Old High German bluhhen to burn brightly

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for blush

blush

noun

English Language Learners Definition of blush

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: the red color that spreads over your face when you are ashamed, embarrassed, confused, etc.
: a slight red or pink color
US : a cream or powder that some people put on their cheeks to make their cheeks pink or reddish

blush

verb

English Language Learners Definition of blush (Entry 2 of 2)

: to become red in your face because you are ashamed, embarrassed, confused, etc.
: to be embarrassed

blush

verb
\ ˈbləsh How to pronounce blush (audio) \
blushed; blushing