blight

1 of 2

noun

1
botany
a
: a disease or injury of plants marked by the formation of lesions, withering, and death of parts (such as leaves and tubers)
potato blight
b
: an organism (such as an insect or a fungus) that causes blight
2
: something that frustrates plans or hopes
the blight of poverty
an abandoned factory that was a blight on the neighborhood
3
: something that impairs or destroys
… censorship … has brought under its blight Ireland's greatest poets, dramatists, and scholars.Paul Blanshard
4
: a deteriorated condition
urban blight

blight

2 of 2

verb

blighted; blighting; blights

transitive verb

1
botany : to affect (a plant) with a disease or injury marked by the formation of lesions, withering, and death of parts (such as leaves and tubers) : to affect with blight (see blight entry 1 sense 1)
The apple trees were blighted by fungus.
2
: to impair the quality or effect of
the condition that has blighted his son's lifePatricia Guthrie

intransitive verb

botany : to suffer from or become affected with blight
The potatoes blighted.

Examples of blight in a Sentence

Noun the city's spreading urban blight the expanding urban sprawl is a blight on the countryside Verb Builders blighted the land with malls and parking lots.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The best strategy to avoid the threat of these diseases is to plant new, blight resistant varieties. Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 16 Mar. 2024 The great blight on Dashkova’s adolescent life was her polar opposite older sister, Elizaveta. E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Funded by federal dollars, the project was meant to eliminate blight by tearing down and replacing old houses, but opponents condemned the project as destructive. Journal Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2024 But where others saw blight, Christian Strobel saw promise. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 The building, dating to 1918, suffered multiple fires in recent years and became a source of blight after sitting vacant since shutting down in 2016. Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. 2024 Other members of the fungi family tree are less desirable and act as disease-causing pathogens that can disrupt ecosystems and blight human and animal health. Katie Hunt, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 This work has red, green and black color alongside images depicting physical strength alongside community blight. Amy Carleton, Charlotte Observer, 29 Feb. 2024 Potholes, speeding traffic, blight, water or sewer bills, noisy neighbors, garbage service and even many golf courses, all are managed in city halls. Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 17 Feb. 2024
Verb
Even before the industry was facing a potential deluge of second-hand rental cars, customers were blighted with product recalls and said they were ‘duped’ by overnight price slashes as rival brands fight to remain price competitive. Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024 These are the tiny, unseen agonies blighting ordinary, painful lives, as Putin’s war enters its third year. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 Not all see the graffiti as simply blight on the urban landscape, however. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2024 For many Libyans, the collective grief over the more than 11,000 dead has morphed into a rallying cry for national unity in a country blighted by 12 years of conflict and division. Time, 17 Sep. 2023 Where city leaders and business groups see an economic boon to the region, conservation groups such as Keep Fort Ord Wild see creeping commercialism blighting a pristine environment. Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 Which is to say, kitchens were heavily symbolic sites long before any of us became involved with the ones that bless or blight our individual lives. Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2024 Johnson is against, very much against — portraying Napoleon as the forerunner to, and model for, the egomaniacal dictators who blighted and bloodied the 20th century. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 18 Dec. 2023 The alternative of abandoning Skid Row’s largest landlord, city officials say, would destroy affordable housing, blight the community and force scores of people onto the streets. Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

of obscure origin

Verb

verbal derivative of blight entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1695, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blight was in 1578

Dictionary Entries Near blight

Cite this Entry

“Blight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blight. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blight

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a disease of plants marked by withering and death of parts (as leaves)
b
: an organism that causes blight
2
a
: something that harms or destroys
b
: a damaged or worsened condition
urban blight

blight

2 of 2 verb
1
: to affect with blight
2
: to damage or worsen the quality or condition of
slums and blighted areas
3
: to suffer from or become affected with blight

Medical Definition

blight

noun
Australian
: an inflammation of the eye in which the eyelids discharge a thick mucous substance that often seals them up for days and minute granular pustules develop inside the lid

called also sandy blight

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