Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To blur or redden (the eyes).
  • transitive verb To blur; dim.
  • adjective Bleary.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To affect (the eyes) with flowing tears or rheum so that the sight is dimmed and indistinct; make rheumy and dim: as, “blered her eyes,”
  • To blur, as the face with weeping; obscure; obfuscate.
  • To blear one's eyes, figuratively, to deceive; hoodwink; blind.
  • To have bleared or inflamed eyes; be blear-eyed.
  • Sore or dim from a watery discharge or other superficial affection: applied only to the eyes.
  • Producing dimness of vision; blinding.
  • Dim; indistinct; confused in outlines.
  • noun Something that obscures the sight.
  • To thrust (out); protrude: with out.
  • To thrust out the tongue in mockery.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Dim or sore with water or rheum; -- said of the eyes.
  • adjective Causing or caused by dimness of sight; dim.
  • transitive verb To make somewhat sore or watery, as the eyes; to dim, or blur, as the sight. Figuratively: To obscure (mental or moral perception); to blind; to hoodwink.
  • transitive verb [Obs.] to deceive; to impose upon.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective dim, unclear from water or rheum.
  • verb To make blurred or dim, especially the eyes.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make dim or indistinct
  • adjective tired to the point of exhaustion

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English bleren.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Of uncertain origin; perhaps related to blur.

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Examples

  • Then How-ha's eyes went blear as she traversed the simple windings of her own brain, inspecting the bare shelves taciturnly stored with the impressions of a meagre life.

    CHAPTER 19 2010

  • He remembered the days when some of the old men, still alive, had been born; and, unlike him, they were now decrepit, shaken with palsy, blear-eyed, toothless of mouth, deaf of ear, or paralysed.

    CHAPTER XI 2010

  • (London received $530 for this story on August 14, 1905.) "TO cook by your fire and to sleep under your roof for the night," I had announced on entering old Ebbits's cabin; and he had looked at me blear-eyed and vacuous, while Zilla had favored me with a sour face and a contemptuous grunt.

    The White Man's Way 2010

  • The chief was alone with his blear-eyed wife, but a glance sufficed to tell Mackenzie that the news was already told.

    The Sun of the Wolf 2010

  • The chief was alone with his blear-eyed wife, but a glance sufficed to tell Mackenzie that the news was already told.

    The Son of the Wolf 2010

  • A blear-eyed ancient stood before him, balancing on a single crutch.

    CHAPTER 2 2010

  • But my poor blear eyes like a bat's, startled me at my shadow on the flagstones.

    Chapter 22 2010

  • The Emperor grew more weak-legged and blear-eyed what of the ingenious deviltries devised for him by

    Chapter 15 2010

  • They sat down together on the floor, and she patted Frona's hand lovingly, peering, meanwhile, blear-eyed and misty, into her face.

    CHAPTER 2 2010

  • I had announced on entering old Ebbits's cabin; and he had looked at me blear-eyed and vacuous, while Zilla had favored me with a sour face and a contemptuous grunt.

    THE WHITE MAN'S WAY 2010

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