black

adjective \ ˈblak \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

1 a : of the color black (see ²black 2)

a black sweater

a black dog

as black as coal

b (1) : very dark in color

his face was black with rage

(2) : having a very deep or low register (see ¹register 4b)

a bass with a black voice

(3) : heavy, serious

the play was a black intrigue

2 a : having dark skin, hair, and eyes : swarthy

the black Irish

b or Black

(1) : of or relating to any of various population groups having dark pigmentation of the skin

black Americans

(2) : of or relating to the African-American people or their culture

black literature

a black college

Black pride

Black studies

(3) : typical or representative of the most readily perceived characteristics of black culture

trying to sound black

3 : dressed in black (see ²black 2)

playing for the black team

4 : dirty, soiled

hands black with grime

5 a : characterized by the absence of light

a black night

b : reflecting or transmitting little or no light

black water

c : served without milk or cream

black coffee

6 a : thoroughly sinister or evil : wicked

a black deed

b : indicative of condemnation or discredit

got a black mark for being late

7 : connected with or invoking the supernatural and especially the devil

black magic

the black arts

8 a : very sad, gloomy, or calamitous

black despair

b : marked by the occurrence of disaster

black Friday

9 : characterized by hostility or angry discontent : sullen

black resentment filled his heart

10 chiefly British : subject to boycott by trade-union members as employing or favoring nonunion workers or as operating under conditions considered unfair by the trade union

a ship that was declared black by the union

11 a of propaganda : conducted so as to appear to originate within an enemy country and designed to weaken enemy morale

disseminating black propaganda

b : characterized by or connected with the use of black propaganda

black radio

12 : characterized by grim, distorted, or grotesque satire

black humor

13 : of or relating to covert intelligence operations

black government programs

—

blackish

play \ˈbla-kish\ adjective

—

blackly

adverb

—

blackness

noun

See black defined for English-language learners

See black defined for kids

Examples of black in a Sentence

a little black dress blends into the night very well

Recent Examples of black from the Web

Goins collided into a black Lincoln Town Car and two people were injured, but Harrison said both were in stable condition Sunday night.

— marie simoneaux, NOLA.com, "Elysian Fields fatal shooting linked to Sunday's 'violent crime spree'," 23 Apr. 2018
Maya Rao |The Great American Outpost| Public Affairs | April 2018 | 9 minutes (2,428 words) The house is squat and tan, near a 24-hour Walmart and a small truck stop along a busy road where diesel pickups groan and belch black exhaust.

— Longreads, "Life on the Oil Frontier," 23 Apr. 2018
South Africa’s black population is more educated – by percentage and by absolute numbers – than at any other time in the country’s history.

— ryan lenora brown, The Christian Science Monitor, "For South Africa's students, college means promise – if they can get there," 23 Apr. 2018
In Santa Monica, Synanites beat up two black couples who had parked their car at a Synanon apartment building.

— hillel aron, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Story of This Drug Rehab-Turned-Violent Cult Is Wild, Wild Country-Caliber Bizarre," 23 Apr. 2018
The five black-hole mergers discovered so far are not sufficient to determine which formation scenario dominates.

— davide castelvecchi, Scientific American, "Here Come the Waves," 23 Apr. 2018
Parks is shown with two time-traveling teenagers, a black girl and a white boy.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "Offensive Rosa Parks cartoon removed from school curriculum (Commentary)," 22 Apr. 2018
The intruder — a man with a long white beard who stood about 6 feet tall and wore a black leather vest — waved a canister back and forth in the air, Wuerth said.

— tegan hanlon, Anchorage Daily News, "An activist group says it was holding a nonviolence training in Spenard when an intruder entered with pepper spray," 22 Apr. 2018
The app started in 2009 as a way for people to book rides in fancy black cars.

— jack stewart, WIRED, "For a Much-Needed Win, Self-Driving Cars Should Aim Lower," 22 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'black.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of black

Middle English blak, from Old English blæc; akin to Old High German blah black, and probably to Latin flagrare to burn, Greek phlegein

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

black Synonyms

black

noun

1 : a pigment or dye of the color black : a black pigment or dye; especially : one consisting largely of carbon

2 : the achromatic (see achromatic 3) color of least lightness characteristically perceived to belong to objects that neither reflect nor transmit light

walls painted in black

3 : something that is black: such as

a : black clothing

looks good in black

b : a black animal (such as a horse)

c baseball : the narrow, black edge of home plate

a pitch on the black [=a pitch that crosses over the very edge of home plate]

4 a : a person belonging to any of various population groups having dark pigmentation of the skin

b : african-american

a position supported by both blacks and whites

blacks and other people of color

5 in board games : the pieces of a dark color in a board game for two players (such as chess)

black moves second

6 : total or nearly total absence of light

the black of night

7 : the condition of making a profit —usually used with the

operating in the black

— compare red

See black defined for English-language learners

Examples of black in a Sentence

The wall was painted in black.
a mixture of grays and blacks
She was dressed in black.

Recent Examples of black from the Web

In order to keep shamblers at bay, an earlier Congress passed the Negro and Native Reeducation Act (NNRA), which decreed that blacks and Native Americans alone should fight the undead.

— katie ward beim-esche, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Dread Nation' is a rollicking 'Gone With the Wind + Zombies' adventure," 20 Apr. 2018
Confidential victim of petty theft involving a $180 black and gold bicycle, 400 block Eighth Street.

— Ramona Sentinel, "Sheriff's Reports: April 8-15," 17 Apr. 2018
High-dynamic range displays deliver stunningly bright colors with deep, dark blacks, and the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update dropping any day now will include enhanced HDR support.

— ian paul, PCWorld, "A 4K, HDR Dell UltraSharp monitor is $240 off, and comes with a $200 gift card," 6 Apr. 2018
Or maybe this is where this movie starts to fade to black.

— michael calore, WIRED, "GoPro Announces a New $199 Hero Camera," 29 Mar. 2018
What started with a call to wear black in support of the nascent Time's Up initiative at the Golden Globes culminated with Frances McDormand's rousing endorsement of inclusion riders in the final minutes of the Academy Awards.

— refinery29.com, "17 Hollywood Women Share Their Advice For Breaking Into A Male Space," 20 Mar. 2018
Tickets for some of the less familiar statutes were issued even more disproportionately to blacks.

— matt ford, The New Republic, "The Case Against Jaywalking Laws," 12 Mar. 2018
This is the primary response given by unhappy leftist women, blacks, Latinos, and gays.

— dennis prager, National Review, "Liberals and Conservatives Are Unhappy for Different Reasons," 13 Feb. 2018
By contrast, the core Democratic groups include blacks, Asians, religiously unaffiliated, post-graduate women, Jews, Hispanics, and millennials.

— jeet heer, New Republic, "The Democrats Didn’t Betray Their Base," 23 Jan. 2018

Origin and Etymology of black

see ¹black

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

black Synonyms

Synonyms

blackness, candlelight, dark, darkness, dusk, gloaming, gloom, murk, night, semidarkness, shade, shadows, twilight, umbra;

Antonyms

blaze, brightness, brilliance, day, daylight, glare, glow, light, lightness;

Near Antonyms

moonlight, starlight, sunlight;

effulgence, radiance, radiancy, shine, sunshine;

incandescence, luminance, luminescence, luminosity, luminousness;

Related Words

midnight;

blackout, brownout, dimout;

shadiness, umbrage;

dullness (also dulness), somberness;

cloudiness, fogginess, haziness, mistiness, murkiness;

dimness, faintness, gloominess, grayness, paleness;

half-light;

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

black

verb

intransitive verb

: to become black (see ¹black)

transitive verb

1 : to make black

blacked his boots

2 chiefly British : to declare (something, such as a business or industry) subject to boycott by trade-union members

See black defined for English-language learners

Examples of black in a Sentence

He blacked his boots with polish.
Labor union members have blacked the company.

Recent Examples of black from the Web

Would black Justin Bieber reappear like a unicorn in the forest of our tangled lives?

— jason parham, WIRED, "How Atlanta, the Most Innovative Show on TV, Reinvented Itself Again," 15 Mar. 2018
When McKinley was assassinated in 1901 and Roosevelt became president, Church was among the group that encouraged President Roosevelt to invite Booker T. Washington to the White House, as an olive branch to black America.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Making of a Black Fortune," 20 Feb. 2018
Catto fought for equality in the aftermath of the Civil War and successfully protested to desegregate trolleys in Philadelphia while fighting to bring the vote to black citizens.

— ray boyd, Philly.com, "Black History Month: FOX29's Alex Holley uses Instagram to showcase African-Americans' impact on Philadelphia," 12 Feb. 2018
From celebrities to corporate America, the slight was a reminder of what blacks regularly experience in a white world — a feeling that the game is rigged.

— errin haines whack, chicagotribune.com, "Coin toss mirrors black experience beyond Olympics," 9 Feb. 2018
Some fans took to Twitter on Thursday night to express frustration over the Sixers–Celtics game being blacked across the country on TNT.

— charlotte carroll, SI.com, "Some Fans Experience TNT Blackout Trying to Watch Sixers-Celtics Game," 18 Jan. 2018
Thuram, who won the World Cup with France in 1998 and the European Championships two years later, also criticised Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann's decision to black up when dressing up as a Harlem Globetrotters basketball player for a party.

— afp, chicagotribune.com, "Thuram crticises handling of racist behavior towards Matuidi," 10 Jan. 2018
How long must black voters save the Democratic Party from implosion?

— britt julious, Esquire, "Black Women Defeated Roy Moore, and the Country Is Better for It," 13 Dec. 2017
Here, colors approaching white on the scale indicate higher ECL levels and more damage, while colors closer to black indicate lower levels and less damage.

— lacy schley, Discover Magazine, "The Problem With E-Cigarettes," 16 Nov. 2017

Origin and Etymology of black

see ¹black

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

Black

biographical name \ ˈblak \

Hugo LaFayette 1886–1971 American jurist and politician

Black

biographical name

Sir James Whyte 1924–2010 British pharmacologist

Black

geographical name

1 river 101 miles (162 kilometers) long in east central Louisiana flowing south into the Red River

2 or in China Amo play \ˈä-ˈmō\ or in Vietnam Da play \ˈdä\ river 500 miles (805 kilometers) long in southeastern Asia rising in central Yunnan, China, and flowing southeast to the Red River in northern Vietnam

Financial Definition of BLACK

black

noun

What It Is

Black is slang for profit. Profit, also called net income, is the amount remaining after all costs, depreciation, interest, taxes, and other expenses have been deducted from total sales. Profit is also referred to as the bottom line, net profit, or net earnings. The formula for profit is:

Total Sales - Total Expenses = Profit

Note that preferred stock dividends are typically included in the traditional net income calculation, but common stock dividends are not.

How It Works

Here is some information about Company XYZ for last year:

Using the formula and the information above, we can calculate that Company XYZ's profit was:

$1,000,000 - $500,000 - $300,000 - $100,000 - $5,000 + $1,000 - $10,000 - $10,000 = $76,000

This means that Company XYZ made $76,000 of profit last year. It was “in the black.”

Why It Matters

Philosophically speaking, being in the black is what motivates industry, entrepreneurship, and innovation. It is the very thing that enables people to feed themselves, clothe their families, create jobs, and set money aside for the future. It is not a vice, but rather an incentive to dream, take risks, and try harder. As Adam Smith, the founder of modern economics, put it, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.”

In the retail industry, companies often don’t become profitable until the fourth quarter, when Christmas shopping begins. This is the source of the term “Black Friday.”

Source: Investing Answers

BLACK Defined for English Language Learners

black

adjective

: having the very dark color of coal or the night sky
: very dark because there is no light
: of or relating to a race of people who have dark skin and who come originally from Africa

black

noun

: the dark color of coal or the night sky
: black clothing
: a person belonging to a race of people who have dark skin : a black person

black

verb

: to make (something) black
: to refuse to work for or with (a business, employer, etc.) or to buy (goods, services, etc.)

BLACK Defined for Kids

black

adjective \ ˈblak \

blacker; blackest

1 : of the color of coal : colored black

2 : very dark

a black night

3 often capitalized : of or relating to any peoples having dark skin and especially any of the original peoples of Africa south of the Sahara

4 : of or relating to Americans having ancestors from Africa south of the Sahara

5 : wicked 1

a black deed

6 : very sad or gloomy

in a black mood

7 : unfriendly 1

a black look

—

blackish

adjective

—

blackness

noun

black

noun

1 : the color of coal : the opposite of white

2 : black clothing

He is dressed in black.

3 : a person belonging to a race of people having dark skin

4 : an American having black African ancestors : african-american

5 : total or near total darkness

the black of night

6 : the condition of making a profit

The company is in the black.

black

verb

blacked; blacking

: blacken 1

— black out

: to lose consciousness or the ability to see for a short time

Learn More about black

See words that rhyme with black Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for black Spanish Central: Translation of black Nglish: Translation of black for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of black for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about black

Seen and Heard

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black

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blackly

blackness

Examples of black in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of black

black Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

black

Examples of black in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of black

black Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Color Terms

black

Examples of black in a Sentence

Recent Examples of black from the Web

Origin and Etymology of black

Black

Black

Black

Financial Definition of BLACK

What It Is

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Why It Matters

Phrases Related to BLACK

Related Phrases

BLACK Defined for English Language Learners

black

black

black

BLACK Defined for Kids

black

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black

black

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