1
: having the very dark color of the night sky or the eye's pupil : of the color black (see black entry 2 sense 2)
a black sweater
a black dog
as black as coal
2
Black
or less commonly black
a
: of or relating to any of various population groups of especially African ancestry often considered as having dark pigmentation of the skin but in fact having a wide range of skin colors
Black Americans
Note: Capitalization of Black in this use is now widely established.
b
: of or relating to Black people and often especially to African American people or their culture
Black literature
a Black college
Black pride
Black studies
Note: Capitalization of Black in this use is now widely established.
3
: dressed in black (see black entry 2 sense 2)
playing for the black team
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
old-fashioned + literary
: thoroughly sinister or evil : wicked
When the King heard of this black deed, in his grief and rage he denounced relentless war against his Barons …—
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
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
a
: characterized by hostility or angry discontent : sullen
black resentment filled his heart
b
: distorted or darkened by anger
his face was black with rage
10
: having dark skin, hair, and eyes
the black Irish
11
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
12
a
of propaganda
: conducted so as to appear to originate within an enemy country and designed to weaken enemy morale
Black propaganda … is the business of going to elaborate ends to spread half-true, misleading or downright false information to get your enemy in trouble.—Everett G. Martin
Everett G. Martin
b
: characterized by or connected with the use of black propaganda
Press reports say that in addition to dropping leaflets over urban areas, messages were broadcast over two "black" radio stations, … both of which were operated by the CIA.—Strategic Intelligence
Strategic Intelligence14
: of or relating to covert intelligence operations
black government programs
15
: having a very deep or low register (see register entry 1 sense 4b)
a bass with a black voice
blackly
adverb
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 sense 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
Black
or less commonly black
a
: a person belonging to any of various population groups of especially African ancestry often considered as having dark pigmentation of the skin but in fact having a wide range of skin colors
Note: Capitalization of Black in this use is now widely established.
b
: african american
Note: Capitalization of Black in this use is now widely established.
Note: Use of the noun Black in the singular to refer to a person is considered offensive. The plural form Blacks is still commonly used by Black people and others to refer to Black people as a group or community, but the plural form too is increasingly considered offensive, and most style guides advise writers to use Black people rather than Blacks when practical.
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 sense 6
blacked; blacking; blacks
: to become black (see black entry 1) : blacken
As she leaned against the stone cross … , the sky blacked with clouds.—Hugh Coleman Davidson
Hugh Coleman Davidson1
: 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
Examples of black in a Sentence
Adjective
we adopted a little black kitten
Noun
The wall was painted in black.
a mixture of grays and blacks
She was dressed in black.
Verb
He blacked his boots with polish.
Labor union members have blacked the company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
The black coffee and ablutions came promptly at 3: 30 a.m. each morning, followed by a toe-curling breakfast.
—Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
Taylor Jean Stephan, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2023
Flaunt this fun, floral style, or opt for their best-selling classic black.
—Meg Donohue, Town & Country, 31 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for black
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
He is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes and weighing 190 pounds.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
The black coffee and ablutions came promptly at 3: 30 a.m. each morning, followed by a toe-curling breakfast.
—Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
Noun
Take your pick from black to mocha to crisp, winter white.
—Taylor Jean Stephan, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2023
Flaunt this fun, floral style, or opt for their best-selling classic black.
—Meg Donohue, Town & Country, 31 Jan. 2023
See All Example Sentences for black
Cite this Entry
“Black.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
black
1 of 3 adjective1
a
: of the color black
b
: very dark
2
capitalized
a
: of or relating to any of various population groups that are often considered to have dark skin but that in fact have a wide range of skin colors
Black people
b
: of or relating to Black people and especially to African American people and their culture
Black literature
3
a
: very sad or gloomy
the outlook was black
b
c
: evil entry 1 sense 1, wicked
a black deed
—used in the past especially in literature
4
: characterized by grim or distorted humor
black
2 of 3 noun1
: a black pigment or dye
especially
: one consisting largely of carbon
2
: the characteristic color of soot or coal
3
: black clothing
dressed in black
4
: a black animal (as a horse)
5
capitalized
a
: a person belonging to any of various population groups especially of African ancestry that are often considered to have dark pigmentation of the skin but in fact have a wide range of skin colors
b
6
: absence of light : darkness
the black of night
7
: the condition of making a profit
in the black
black
3 of 3 verbGeographical Definition
Black
geographical name
Biographical Definition
Black
2 of 2biographical name (2)
Sir James Whyte 1924–2010 British pharmacologist
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