blacklist

1 of 2

noun

black·​list ˈblak-ˌlist 

1

: a list of persons who are disapproved of or are to be punished or boycotted

2

: a list of banned or excluded things of disreputable character

a domain-name blacklist

… helped the government keep marijuana on the blacklist.

—Cynthia Cotts

blacklist

2 of 2

verb

blacklisted; blacklisting; blacklists

transitive verb

: to put on a blacklist

blacklister noun

Examples of blacklist in a Sentence

Noun

He's on the FBI's blacklist.

The rental company has created a blacklist of bad drivers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In 2015, China also began a blacklist of passengers who are disruptive on flights after a series of high-profile incidents. —Kaela Ling, CNBC, 22 Nov. 2025

Spacey likened his predicament to the experiences of actors of yore, who were swept into the Hollywood blacklist as a result of McCarthyism. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2025

Verb

The United States has launched one of its most aggressive crackdowns yet on Iran’s clandestine oil trade, blacklisting a web of companies, intermediaries, and tankers that Washington says bankroll Tehran’s armed forces. —Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

He too has been sanctioned — blacklisted by financial institutions — for helping fund Assad’s regime and moving $40 million into Moscow real estate on behalf of Assad’s family. —Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1702, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for blacklist

• assist
• booklist
• checklist
• consist
• desist
• dismissed
• enlist
• exist
• insist
• oocyst
• persist
• resist

Kids Definition

blacklist

noun

black·​list

ˈblak-ˌlist

: a list of persons who are disapproved of and are to be punished

blacklist verb