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Definition of obscure verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

obscure

verb
 
/əbˈskjʊə(r)/
 
/əbˈskjʊr/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they obscure
 
/əbˈskjʊə(r)/
 
/əbˈskjʊr/
he / she / it obscures
 
/əbˈskjʊəz/
 
/əbˈskjʊrz/
past simple obscured
 
/əbˈskjʊəd/
 
/əbˈskjʊrd/
past participle obscured
 
/əbˈskjʊəd/
 
/əbˈskjʊrd/
-ing form obscuring
 
/əbˈskjʊərɪŋ/
 
/əbˈskjʊrɪŋ/
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  1. obscure something to make it difficult to see, hear or understand something
    • The view was obscured by fog.
    • We mustn't let these minor details obscure the main issue.
    • A shadow fell across her face, obscuring her expression.
    Extra Examples
    • All trace of his working-class background was deliberately obscured.
    • The house was obscured from view by a high hedge.
    • The moon was obscured behind a wall of cloud.
    • The right-hand side of the face is obscured in deep shadow.
    • These figures obscure the fact that a lot of older people live in great poverty.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • completely
    • totally
    • almost
    verb + obscure
    • serve to
    • tend to
    • allow something to
    preposition
    • behind
    • in
    phrases
    • obscure the fact that…
    • obscure something from view
    See full entry
    Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French obscur, from Latin obscurus ‘dark’, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘cover’.
See obscure in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee obscure in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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noun
 
 
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