blend
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to mix two or more things together so they become one smooth substance.
v.to combine different substances or elements into a single, uniform whole. Often used with 'together' or 'with'.
Simple“You should blend the fruit and yogurt until the mixture is smooth.”
In context“The chef demonstrated how to blend the chilled butter into the flour without overworking the dough, ensuring a flaky crust.”
UsageOften used as a transitive verb taking a direct object.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to look good together or to hide by looking like the things around you.
v.to harmonize or be visually indistinguishable from the surrounding environment.
Simple“The new curtains blend perfectly with the color of the walls.”
In context“The modern extension was designed to blend seamlessly with the original Victorian brickwork, maintaining the street's historical character.”
UsageCommonly used with the preposition 'with' or 'into'.
SynonymsAntonymsclashstand out - 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a mix of different types of the same thing, like coffee beans or tea leaves.
n.a product or substance made by combining different varieties or qualities of a specific item.
Simple“This special blend of coffee is made from beans grown in three different countries.”
In context“The perfumer created a unique blend of floral and woody notes, resulting in a sophisticated fragrance that changed throughout the day.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.a word made by joining parts of two other words together.
n.a word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two or more other words; also known as a portmanteau.
Simple“The word 'brunch' is a blend of 'breakfast' and 'lunch'.”
In context“Linguistic blends like 'smog' or 'motel' demonstrate how morphological boundaries can be blurred to create concise new terminology.”
Synonyms
“An imposing blend of steel and silk, a defender also comfortable in central midfield will miss the start of the season after hernia surgery.”
“The latest from the author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street blends an apocalyptic end-of-the-world tale with folk horror and two slowly developing love stories.”
From Middle English blenden, either from Old English blandan, blondan, ġeblandan, ġeblendan or from Old Norse blanda (“to blend, mix”) (which was originally a strong verb with the present-tense stem blend; compare blendingr (“a blending, a mixture; a half-breed”)), whence also Danish blande, or from a blend of the Old English and Old Norse terms; both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *blandaną (“to blend; mix; combine”). Compare Middle Dutch blanden (“to mix”), Gothic 𐌱𐌻𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌽 (blandan), Old Church Slavonic блєсти (blesti, “to go astray”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.