BLISTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does blister mean? 

• BLISTER (noun)
  The noun BLISTER has 3 senses:

1. a flaw on a surface resulting when an applied substance does not adhere (as an air bubble in a coat of paint)

2. (botany) a swelling on a plant similar to that on the skin

3. (pathology) an elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid

  Familiarity information: BLISTER used as a noun is uncommon.

• BLISTER (verb)
  The verb BLISTER has 3 senses:

1. get blistered

2. subject to harsh criticism

3. cause blisters to form on

  Familiarity information: BLISTER used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BLISTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A flaw on a surface resulting when an applied substance does not adhere (as an air bubble in a coat of paint)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("blister" is a kind of...):

defect; fault; flaw (an imperfection in an object or machine)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(botany) a swelling on a plant similar to that on the skin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("blister" is a kind of...):

enation; plant process (a natural projection or outgrowth from a plant body or organ)

Domain category:

botany; phytology (the branch of biology that studies plants)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(pathology) an elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

bleb; blister; bulla

Hypernyms ("blister" is a kind of...):

cyst; vesicle (a small anatomically normal sac or bladderlike structure (especially one containing fluid))

Domain category:

pathology (the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "blister"):

water blister (blister containing a nonpurulent clear watery content)

blood blister (blister containing blood or bloody serum usually caused by an injury)

pustule (a small inflamed elevation of skin containing pus; a blister filled with pus)

Derivation:

blister (get blistered)

blistery (covered with small blisters)

• BLISTER (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they blister    ... he / she / it blisters   
Past simple: blistered   
Past participle: blistered   
-ing form: blistering   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Get blistered

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

blister; vesicate

Context example:

Her feet blistered during the long hike

Hypernyms (to "blister" is one way to...):

intumesce; swell; swell up; tumefy; tumesce (expand abnormally)

Verb group:

blister (cause blisters to form on)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

Did his feet blister?

Derivation:

blister ((pathology) an elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Subject to harsh criticism

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

blister; scald; whip

Context example:

your invectives scorched the community

Hypernyms (to "blister" is one way to...):

assail; assault; attack; lash out; round; snipe (attack in speech or writing)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause blisters to form on

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

the tight shoes and perspiration blistered her feet

Hypernyms (to "blister" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Verb group:

blister; vesicate (get blistered)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Also called: Fever Blister, Oral Herpes, Fever blister, Oral herpes

(Cold Sores, NIH)

Signs include red rash, itching, and blister formation.

(Dermatitis, NCI Thesaurus)

You may not feel a cut, a blister or a sore.

(Diabetic Foot, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Signs and symptoms include pain, edema, blisters, and ulcers.

(Dracunculiasis, NCI Thesaurus)

Inhalation exposure to its vapors is highly irritating to the eyes and lungs and may cause damage to the liver, kidney, heart and central nervous system, while dermal contact causes severe blistering.

(Dimethyl Sulfate, NCI Thesaurus)

A rare condition characterized by skin inflammation, blister formation, swelling and ulcerations in the extremities.

(Chilblains, NCI Thesaurus)

The rash turns into fluid-filled blisters and eventually into scabs.

(Chickenpox, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

She has a blister on one of her heels, as large as a three-shilling piece.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

A blister or a bump appears on the skin following the scratch or bite.

(Cat-Scratch Disease, NCI Thesaurus)

The skin may blister and scab over.

(Cellulitis, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)