What does blurb mean?
A blurb is a brief piece of promotional writing, typically a flattering description or endorsement printed on a book's dust jacket or used in advertising for films, products, and events. Blurbs are usually supplied by publishers or written by fellow authors asked to lend their name to a new release, and they are designed to entice rather than evaluate — which is why the word can carry a whiff of hype or exaggeration. The term also functions informally as a verb: an author 'blurbs' a colleague's book by contributing a short commendatory quote. Remarkably, the word is a deliberate coinage rather than an ancient inheritance. It was invented around 1907 by the American humorist Gelett Burgess, who mocked the breathless praise found on book covers with a comic character called Miss Belinda Blurb. Despite its joking origin, 'blurb' entered everyday English and remains the standard term for cover copy and short promotional text across the English-speaking world.
A short promotional description or piece of praise printed on a book jacket or used in advertising for a product, film, or event.
"Publishers fought over which celebrity would supply the lead blurb for the memoir."
Often implies enthusiastic, possibly exaggerated praise; sometimes used loosely for any short descriptive text.
(informal) To write a short promotional endorsement or description, especially a laudatory quote for another author's book.
"She was flattered when a poet she admired offered to blurb her first chapbook."
Almost always transitive in publishing contexts; the object is typically the work being praised.
Standard regular plural, used when referring to multiple promotional descriptions.
"The back cover carried blurbs from three well-known novelists."
'Blurb' was invented as a joke in 1907 by humorist Gelett Burgess, who put a drawing of a gushing fictional woman named 'Miss Belinda Blurb' on a book jacket dust cover — and the word stuck forever.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blurb
Unlike most English words, 'blurb' has a known inventor and birthplace: it was coined by American humorist Gelett Burgess in 1907, reportedly at a booksellers' dinner where he attached to a copy of his own book a satirical jacket featuring a drawing of a rapturous woman labelled 'Miss Belinda Blurb.' The name parodied the effusive praise typical of book jackets, and the word quickly escaped its joke to become standard vocabulary. Because it is a modern invention with no Latin, Greek, or Germanic root, it has no true cognates; related forms such as 'blurbed' and 'blurbing' are simply derivatives of Burgess's coinage itself.
Related word forms
How blurb is actually used
Informal to neutral in register; common in publishing and marketing contexts. As a verb, 'to blurb' means to supply a laudatory quote, often for a colleague's book. The word often carries a faint suggestion of puffery — enthusiasm that may be more promotional than critical.
Easily confused with blurb
A 'blur' is something indistinct or hazy to sight or memory, while a 'blurb' is a short piece of promotional writing.