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blurt out

B1 neutral separable transitive

To say something suddenly and without thinking, often revealing something you did not mean to.

In plain English

To say something accidentally before you have time to think about whether you should.

What does "blurt out" mean?

2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 B1 neutral

To suddenly say something without thinking, especially something you were supposed to keep private.

"She blurted out the surprise party details before anyone could stop her."

'I am the Half-Blood Prince,' he blurted out.

— J.K. Rowling, 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' (2005)
separable
2 B1 neutral

To suddenly say the first thing that comes to mind without considering how it sounds or its effect on others.

"He blurted out that her dress looked old-fashioned and immediately regretted it."

separable
Usage tip

Almost always used with direct speech or a noun phrase as the object (e.g. 'blurt out a secret', 'blurt out that…'). The action is involuntary or impulsive. Very common in storytelling and narrative.

Words that pair with "blurt out"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

secret name answer truth confession feelings

How to conjugate "blurt out"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base
blurt out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
blurts out
he/she/it
Past simple
blurted out
yesterday
Past participle
blurted out
have + pp
-ing form
blurting out
continuous

Hear "blurt out" in the wild

Listen to native speakers using "blurt out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

Other ways to say "blurt out"

Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.

burst out with come out with exclaim let slip reveal accidentally spill

Keep exploring

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