Meaning & use

blaring

adjective, verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈbleərɪŋ/
US/ˈblerɪŋ/

“blaring” is a form of “blare”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Making a very loud, harsh sound that is hard to ignore.

    Grammar: Used before a noun: blaring music, a blaring siren; after a verb it is usually a participle.

    Patterns

    • blaring horns
    • blaring music

    The blaring siren woke the whole street.

    He couldn't think over the blaring music from the next apartment.

    Blaring car horns filled the intersection at rush hour.

  2. verbtransitive or intransitive

    Making a loud, unpleasant noise; the -ing form of blare.

    Grammar: As the -ing form: the radio was blaring; he was blaring his horn.

    Patterns

    • be blaring from something
    • be blaring out something

    The television was blaring when I walked in.

    Music was blaring from the open windows of the car.

    She was blaring her horn at the slow truck.

Word forms

base formblare
third person singularblares
past tenseblared

Common combinations

blaring horn
A blaring horn startled the cyclist.
blaring music
Blaring music poured out of the car.
blaring siren
The blaring siren grew closer.
blaring television
A blaring television kept me from sleeping.
blaring headlines
Blaring headlines announced the result.
blaring alarm
The blaring alarm made everyone leave the building.

Synonyms and how they differ

deafening
Deafening suggests a volume so great it almost hurts the ears, while blaring stresses a harsh, brassy quality.
loud
Loud is neutral and general, whereas blaring suggests an unpleasant, sustained noise.
booming
Booming describes a deep, resonant sound, while blaring is higher and harsher.
raucous
Raucous usually describes rough, noisy behavior of people, while blaring describes machines or instruments.

Opposites

quiethushed

Word family

blare verb
to make a loud, harsh sound
blare noun
a loud, harsh noise
blared verb
past tense of blare

Commonly confused: blaring or glaring?

blaring vs glaring

Glaring describes light that is too bright, or a very obvious mistake, not a sound.

Practice

We could not hear each other over the ______ car horns in the traffic jam.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “blaring”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words