Meaning & use
blaring
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“blaring” is a form of “blare”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
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.
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 form | blare |
|---|---|
| third person singular | blares |
| past tense | blared |
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
Word family
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.
Choose one answer.
Blaring describes harsh, loud sounds like horns. Glaring is about light, and hushed and faint mean quiet.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blaring”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.