blister
Americannoun
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a thin vesicle on the skin, containing watery matter or serum, as from a burn or other injury.
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any similar swelling, as an air bubble in a coat of paint.
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a relatively large bubble occurring in glass during blowing.
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Military. a transparent bulge or dome on the fuselage of an airplane, usually for mounting a gun.
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Photography. a bubble of air formed where the emulsion has separated from the base of a film, as because of defective processing.
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a dome or skylight on a building.
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the moving bubble in a spirit level.
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a small blisterlike covering of plastic, usually affixed to a piece of cardboard and containing a small item, as a pen, bolt, or medicinal tablet.
verb (used with object)
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to raise a blister or blisters on.
These new shoes blistered my feet.
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to criticize or rebuke severely.
The boss blistered his assistant in front of the whole office.
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to beat or thrash; punish severely.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a small bubble-like elevation of the skin filled with serum, produced as a reaction to a burn, mechanical irritation, etc
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a swelling containing air or liquid, as on a painted surface
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a transparent dome or any bulge on the fuselage of an aircraft, such as one used for observation
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slang an irritating person
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slang a rebuke
verb
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to have or cause to have blisters
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(tr) to attack verbally with great scorn or sarcasm
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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blistersimple
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blisterssimple
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have blisteredperfect
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has blisteredperfect
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am blisteringprogressive
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are blisteringprogressive
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is blisteringprogressive
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have been blisteringperfect progressive
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has been blisteringperfect progressive
Past
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blisteredsimple
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had blisteredperfect
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was blisteringprogressive
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were blisteringprogressive
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had been blisteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blister
1250–1300; Middle English blister, blester < Old Norse blǣstri, dative of blāstr swelling. See blast, blow 2
Explanation
A blister is a fluid-filled bubble people get where something rubs or burns the skin. Common causes are wearing fancy new shoes, playing sports, and trying to cook bananas flambé. Having a blister is no fun. A blister is a round raised area caused by repeated friction or rubbing. A second-degree burn can also cause a blister. A blister isn’t always a human problem. Plants can get blisters, and sometimes air bubbles on the surface of a painted wall or a shellacked table are called blisters. The verb blister means to form a blister. The Old French root word is blestre, "lump or bump."
Vocabulary lists containing blister
The Distance Between Us
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"The War Works Hard" by Dunya Mikhail
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Neighborhood Odes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
With her belongings delayed, Hodgkinson was forced to complete her preparations in somebody else's spikes, which ended up giving her a blister.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
I’d let them blister and slump just slightly at the edges.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
Radar data from inside the ice shows what appears to be a blister beneath the surface, pushing the glacier upward at that location.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 5, 2026
The plant produces blister copper, which contains almost entirely copper with 3% of other precious metals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025
When I saw it was a blister I almost cried.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
The balls of both feet and the ends of both pointer toes had been mashed into misshapen blisters.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
In the morning—before my aching knee and bulging blisters relegated my saunter to a limp—a 32-mile walk around Manhattan sounded like a good way to spend the first Saturday in May.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Generally, people with the infection have painful lumps, blisters of swollen skin - but he had no obvious signs, with what looked like burns appearing on his foot only after it had taken hold.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
Foot-and-mouth causes fever and blisters near the hoof and in the mouth that prevent animals from feeding, as seen in the emaciated survivors.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
He felt blisters popping up on his ankles.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Among this year’s participants was WSJ’s achy, blistered Xavier Martinez.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Each ingredient, from blistered tomatoes to the brined treasures of the olive bar, is layered with intention, coaxing depth from pantry staples while keeping the cooking simple and approachable.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Learning a musical instrument can be an arduous journey, one often fraught with blistered fingers, frayed patience and what can seem like an endless series of insurmountable hurdles.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
The customer sits in the chair for the entire day, and when it’s over, Miriam’s fingers are so blistered that the others rush to get her an Epsom salt soak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
Street signs, half of which had turned a blank and blistered white from sun exposure, were little help.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
Isaac’s and Mulligan’s characters have a drawn-out, sometimes blistering, sometimes riotously funny fight in the premiere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The jet will fly over the National Mall alongside the Defense Department’s most impressive equipment on Saturday, before the president delivers a speech in what is forecast to be a blistering heat wave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
A blistering rally in tech stocks helped the S&P 500 and Nasdaq cement roughly 15% and 21% second-quarter gains, their best quarters since 2020, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The area of high pressure causing last week's blistering heat has moved into eastern Europe, allowing temperatures to fall in the west.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
It was bad enough being an aviation cadet without having to act like a soldier in the blistering heat every Sunday afternoon.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
