What does "blush" mean?
An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc.
Blush
/blʌʃ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc.
- Grammar: blush is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: blusher, flush, flush, redden.
- Useful contrasts: bare cheeks, bold, colorlessness.
- Usage evidence: I blush to think of such conduct.
How to use "blush"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "blush" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "blush" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "blush" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "blush" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "blush" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "blusher" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "blush", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of blushing; a pink or red glow on the face caused by embarrassment, shame, shyness, love, etc. countable, uncountable
"Why, Warwick, canst thou speak against thy liege, Whom thou obeyed’st thirty and six years, And not bewray thy treason with a blush?"
- 2 The collective noun for a group of boys.
"a blush of boys"
- 3 sudden reddening of the face (as from embarrassment or guilt or shame or modesty) wordnet
- 4 A glow; a flush of colour, especially pink or red. countable, uncountable
"And now the rosy blush of morn began to mantle in the east, and soon the rising sun, emerging from amidst golden and purple clouds, shed his blithesome rays on the tin weathercocks of Communipaw."
- 5 makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A feeling or appearance of optimism. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"1974, “April's Fading Carnation,” Time, 9 September, 1974,https://web.archive.org/web/20130813201436/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,904100,00.html The independence ceremony could not keep the blush of April's revolution, when carnations had seemed to sprout from every buttonhole, from fading."
- 7 a rosy color (especially in the cheeks) taken as a sign of good health wordnet
- 8 A sort of makeup, frequently a powder, used to redden the cheeks. countable, uncountable
"The same rules that apply to face powder apply to powder blush, since neither contains water. Cream blush, however, should be replaced after a year. To prolong the life of any blush, clean your blush brush regularly and store the product in a dry place."
- 9 A color between pink and cream. countable, uncountable
"Makeup colors like ivory and blush dominate spring collections and have even infiltrated Burberry's shoes."
- 10 A pale pink wine made by removing the dark grape skins at the required point during fermentation. US, countable, uncountable
"2016, Mishkah Abrahams, “Blush or Rosé? The Cape's Best Summer Drink,” capetownetc.com, 29 September, 2016, If you’re looking to indulge in some good food while you sip your blush, pair the Chardonnay-Pinot Noir with fresh, summer foods such as sushi, refreshing salads, delicious seafood and fruity summertime desserts."
Verb
- 1 To become red or pink in the face (and sometimes experience an associated feeling of warmth), especially due to shyness, love, shame, excitement, or embarrassment. intransitive
"The love scene made him blush to the roots of his hair / to the tips of his ears."
- 2 turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame wordnet
- 3 To be shy, ashamed, or embarrassed (to do something). figuratively, intransitive
"While Cato lives, Caesar will blush to see Mankind enslaved, and be ashamed of Empire."
- 4 become rosy or reddish wordnet
- 5 To become red or pink. intransitive
"The sun of heaven, methought, was loth to set, But stayed, and made the western welkin blush,"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to pinken; to make rosy. transitive
"[the ghost] with the heart there cools and ne’er returneth To blush and beautify the cheek again."
- 7 To change skin color in the face (to a particular shade). copulative
"When he saw it, he blushed a beet red."
- 8 To express or make known by blushing. transitive
"Looking at me with a knowing glare, she blushed her discomfort with the situation."
- 9 To have a warm and delicate colour, like some roses and other flowers. intransitive
"The garden was full of blossoms that blushed in myriad shades to form a beautiful carpet of color."
- 10 To glance with the eye, cast a glance. intransitive, obsolete
- 11 Of dope or varnish: to develop an undesirable white precipitate on the surface, due to being applied in humid conditions. intransitive
"Blushing is caused by doping under high relative humidity conditions."
Antonyms
Example
"I blush to think of such conduct."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "blush"?
Common synonyms include: blusher, flush, flush, redden, rosiness, rouge.
How do you use "blush" in a sentence?
I blush to think of such conduct.
How do you pronounce "blush"?
Pronounced /blʌʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English blusshen, bluschen, blusschen, blisshen, from Old English blysċan (“to be red; shine”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *blaskijaną, from *blasǭ (“burning candle; torch”) or alternatively from Proto-Germanic *bluskijaną, from *blusjǭ (“torch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with Middle Low German blöschen (“to blush”). Compare also Old English blysian (“to burn; blaze”), Dutch blozen (“to blush”), Danish blusse (“to blush”), Old Norse blys (“torch”), Danish blus (“blaze”).
Etymology 2
Unknown; attested in the late 15th century.