blanched; blanching; blanches
: to take the color out of
Age had blanched his hair.
: such as
a
cooking
: to scald or parboil in water or steam in order to remove the skin from, whiten, or stop enzymatic action in (such as food for freezing)
blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water
b
: to bleach by excluding light
blanch the leaves of a plant
c
: to make ashen or pale
fear blanches the cheek
: to become white or pale (as from shock or fear)
His face blanched with horror.
—often used figuratively to describe a reaction of shock or dismay that makes someone unwilling or reluctant to proceedCivilians also saw benefits to the system but blanched when talk then included references to $300-plus user fees.—
Dan Fales
Dan Fales… the managers of the companies blanched at the expenditures necessary to retool factories.—Charles C. Mann
Charles C. Mann
blancher
noun
Synonyms
Examples of blanch in a Sentence
Blanch the potatoes before slicing them.
a cup of blanched almonds
She blanched and remained silent when the store owner accused her of taking the money.
Recent Examples on the Web
The suggestion would cause many conservatives to blanch; the feds holding states and local governments hostage?
—Roger Valdez, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Read More: The Witch Trials That America Forgot The partisans of both the Enlightenment and Evangelicalism, with otherwise little in common, might share a blanching at that description of the occult project.
—Ed Simon, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
Maybe longtime fans blanched at collaborations with artists like The Chainsmokers, BTS and Avicii — but those songs were effective, and produced three more top 10 hits for the band, at a time when most rock quartets were not coming close to the Hot 100’s upper reaches.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2024
These rashes tend to blanch—meaning turn white—when pressed.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blanch 
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Roger Valdez, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Read More: The Witch Trials That America Forgot The partisans of both the Enlightenment and Evangelicalism, with otherwise little in common, might share a blanching at that description of the occult project.
—Ed Simon, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024
Maybe longtime fans blanched at collaborations with artists like The Chainsmokers, BTS and Avicii — but those songs were effective, and produced three more top 10 hits for the band, at a time when most rock quartets were not coming close to the Hot 100’s upper reaches.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2024
These rashes tend to blanch—meaning turn white—when pressed.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for blanch
Articles Related to blanch
Dictionary Entries Near blanch
Cite this Entry
“Blanch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blanch. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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