blank

adjective \ ˈblaŋk \

Definition of blank

1 archaic :colorless

2 a :appearing or causing to appear dazed, confounded, or nonplussed

stared in blank dismay

b :expressionless

a blank stare

3 a :devoid of covering or content; especially :free from writing or marks

blank paper

b :having spaces to be filled in

c :lacking interest, variety, or change

blank hours

4 :absolute, unqualified

a blank refusal

5 :unfinished; especially :having a plain or unbroken surface where an opening is usual

a blank key

a blank arch

—

blankly

adverb

—

blankness

noun

See blank defined for English-language learners

See blank defined for kids

Examples of blank in a Sentence

a blank sheet of paper
a book with blank pages

Recent Examples of blank from the Web

This time a year ago, the Chiefs saw in Hill a blank canvas and used the entire color spectrum to complete the picture.

— blair kerkhoff, kansascity, "Chiefs hope fewer roles will mean more production for Tyreek Hill," 26 Aug. 2017
The point-blank gunshot penetrated Accimeus’ aorta, spraying blood on Silver.

— david ovalle, miamiherald, "Eleven jurors wanted execution. One held out. Inside Miami’s latest death-penalty case," 22 Aug. 2017
And each uniform will have a blank patch on the right sleeve for players to write the name of a person or organization that was instrumental in his development.

— billy witz, New York Times, "Nicknames on Yankees’ Backs? What Would the Bambino Think?," 9 Aug. 2017
The user @ProTrump45 is gone, for now, but Trump’s tweet, which contains a blank space where Nicole’s message would be, remains a monument to his monomania.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Trump Falls for His Own Propaganda Machine," 8 Aug. 2017
The 4-H building starts as a blank slate in early July when it is handed over to 4-H. All of the building's exhibits and displays are added during that time.

— carrie napoleon, chicagotribune.com, "Vendors plan for long days as Lake County Fair opens run," 3 Aug. 2017
But otherwise the riders had blank, detached expressions.

— written by andrew keh; photographs by pete kiehart, New York Times, "On Tour’s Mountain Roads, Beer, Baguettes and, Briefly, Bikes," 18 July 2017
Most critical is the angle at which the layers of carbon fiber cross-hatch, how finely the wand tapers to a point, and how snugly each lengthy section, or blank, fits inside another.

— kyle stock, Bloomberg.com, "Will the Orvis H3 Be the One Fly Rod to Rule Them All?," 11 July 2017
Evidence presented at trial showed that on Jan. 14, 2016, three of the victim's children were in the home in the 4700 block of Delaware Street in Gary with three other children, when Bailey was shot in the face at point-blank range.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Gary man sentenced to 91 years in woman's shooting death," 11 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of blank

Middle English, from Anglo-French blanc colorless, white, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German blanch white; probably akin to Latin flagrare to burn — more at black

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

blank Synonyms

Synonyms

catatonic, deadpan, empty, expressionless, impassive, inexpressive, numb, stolid, vacant

Antonyms

demonstrative, expressive

Related Words

dull, vacuous, vague, vapid; enigmatic (also enigmatical), impenetrable, inscrutable, mysterious; motionless, static, still, wooden; reserved, restrained, reticent, taciturn; aloof, apathetic, cold, cool, detached, indifferent, phlegmatic, unresponsive

Near Antonyms

engaged, interested, responsive; active, alive, animated, bright, busy, dynamic, effervescent, energetic, expansive, exuberant, lively, vivacious; eloquent, revealing, revelatory; gestic, gesticulant, gesticulative, gesticulatory, gestural; emotional, melodramatic, theatrical (also theatric), unreserved, unrestrained

Synonym Discussion of blank

empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous mean lacking contents which could or should be present. empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

- an empty bucket

vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

- a vacant apartment

blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

- a blank wall

void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine.

- a statement void of meaning

vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

- a vacuous facial expression

blank

noun

Definition of blank

1 obsolete :the bull's-eye of a target

2 a :an empty space (as on a paper)

b :a paper with spaces for the entry of data

an order blank

3 a :a piece of material prepared to be made into something (such as a key) by a further operation

b :a cartridge loaded with propellant and a seal but no projectile

4 a :an empty or featureless place or space

my mind was a blank

b :a vacant or uneventful period

a long blank in history

5 :a dash substituting for an omitted word

See blank defined for English-language learners

Examples of blank in a Sentence

The form has a blank for your signature.
The actors are shooting blanks.

Recent Examples of blank from the Web

But the narrator of Oates's novel remains a cypher throughout, her personality a blank alongside the women in her sorority house and eventually her first boyfriend.

— sarah begley, Time, "18 Books to Read Before College (Or Long After)," 29 Aug. 2017
The earlier timeline helps fill in the blanks on the migration routes of our early ancestors and bolsters an emerging theory that humans may have dwelled in rainforests much sooner than researchers had assumed.

— april reese, Science | AAAS, "Modern humans were in Southeast Asia 20,000 years earlier than thought, ancient teeth reveal," 9 Aug. 2017
Filling in the Blanks: Nearly 200 days into Trump’s term, the Senate confirmed dozens of the president’s stalled nominees, filling out key posts in the administration.

— lena felton, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Politics & Policy Daily: Make Juries Grand Again," 3 Aug. 2017
In January, Kushner blamed an assistant for leaving a portion of his security-clearance form, the portion that just so happens to include meetings and/or dealings with foreign contacts, blank.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "Jared Kushner to Meet With Congressional Committee, and Either He’s a Liar or Really Incompetent," 24 July 2017
Luckily, as healing progresses, his memory has begun to fill in those blanks.

— diane bell, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Laughter is the best medicine for cartoonist Batton Lash," 17 July 2017
The creative team has filled in the blanks for you.

— janelle gelfand, Cincinnati.com, "'The Magic Flute' a surreal visual extravaganza," 16 July 2017
And pitting two women against each other to be judged based on their bodies is gross, point blank.

— rosemary donahue, Allure, "Gross Story Pits Bella and Gigi Hadid Against Each Other in a "Bikini Battle"," 11 July 2017
With those dead, the trucking companies had to do just as much work as APM to fill in the blanks.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "'Petya' cyberattack: Teamwork, pride fueled Alabama terminal's fight to rebound," 9 July 2017

First Known Use of blank

circa 1570

blank Synonyms

Synonyms

form, document, paper

Related Words

instrument, writ; filing; sheet

Near Antonyms

fullness (also fulness), repleteness

blank

verb

Definition of blank

transitive verb

1 a :obscure, obliterate

blank out a line

b :to stop access to :seal

blank off a tunnel

2 :to keep (an opponent) from scoring

were blanked for eight innings

intransitive verb

1 :fade —usually used with out

the music blanked out

2 :to become confused or abstracted —often used with out

his mind blanked out momentarily

See blank defined for English-language learners

Examples of blank in a Sentence

The goalie blanked the Falcons for two periods in the hockey game.

Recent Examples of blank from the Web

The Gators haven't been blanked since losing to Auburn 16-0 on Oct. 29, 1988.

— mark inabinett, AL.com, "SEC Football by the Numbers: Top 10 for the 2017 season," 25 Aug. 2017
The Birds' (32-23) blanked the homestanding Brooklyn Cyclones, 5-0, behind the solid pitching of starter Michael Baumann and reliever Nick Vespi.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "IronBirds win 4th straight, blank Cyclones," 18 Aug. 2017
According to Taste of Country, Miranda blanked on the words to the second verse, and turned to Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild for help.

— lauren matthews, Country Living, "Oops! Watch Miranda Lambert Forget the Lyrics to One of Her Songs on Stage," 2 Aug. 2017
After exploding for 10 runs in the first game of the series, the Mariners were blanked in the middle game of their series in Anaheim.

— seattle times sports staff, The Seattle Times, "Mariners vs. Angels: Live updates as James Paxton tries to get the M’s a series win," 2 July 2017
The Knights were blanked for the eighth time this season, while the Braves' staff recorded their sixth shutout of the year.

— charlotteobserver, "Charlotte Knights shut out in first game of doubleheader against Gwinnett Braves," 22 June 2017
Frieri salvaged the middle innings by blanking the Jays in fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram.com, "Rangers Reaction: Gallo’s big night not enough after Ross roughed up," 21 June 2017
Jake Petricka came on in relief and blanked the Orioles over 2 1/3 innings with four strikeouts.

— chris kuc, chicagotribune.com, "White Sox lead Orioles 9-2 after 6 innings," 12 June 2017
The Rockies bullpen blanked the Padres over the final two frames.

— dennis lin, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cosart falters as Padres drop series rubber match against Rockies," 4 June 2017

First Known Use of blank

1764

BLANK Defined for English Language Learners

blank

adjective

Definition of blank for English Language Learners

: without any writing, marks, or pictures
: having empty spaces to be filled in with information : not yet written in or filled out
: without any recorded sound or information

blank

noun

Definition of blank for English Language Learners

: an empty space on a document where you put information
: a period of time that you cannot remember anything about
: a gun cartridge that is filled with powder but that does not contain a bullet

blank

verb

Definition of blank for English Language Learners

: to keep (the opposing team) from scoring
: to behave in an unfriendly way toward (someone you have been friendly with in the past) : to ignore or refuse to talk to (someone)

BLANK Defined for Kids

blank

adjective \ ˈblaŋk \

Definition of blank for Students

1 :not having any writing or marks

a blank page

2 :having empty spaces to be filled in

a blank order form

3 :not showing emotion or understanding

a blank look

blank

noun

Definition of blank for Students

1 :an empty space in a line of writing or printing

2 :a paper with empty spaces to be filled in

“Do you have your entry blank for the dog show?”
—Beverly Cleary, Henry Huggins

3 :a cartridge loaded with powder but no bullet

4 :events or a time that cannot be remembered

Everything after the accident is a blank.

Learn More about blank

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up blank? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

blank

Definition of blank

blankly

blankness

Read the Latest from M-W

Examples of blank in a Sentence

Recent Examples of blank from the Web

Origin and Etymology of blank

blank Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of blank

blank

Definition of blank

Examples of blank in a Sentence

Recent Examples of blank from the Web

First Known Use of blank

blank Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

blank

Definition of blank

Examples of blank in a Sentence

Recent Examples of blank from the Web

First Known Use of blank

Phrases Related to BLANK

Related Phrases

BLANK Defined for English Language Learners

blank

Definition of blank for English Language Learners

blank

Definition of blank for English Language Learners

blank

Definition of blank for English Language Learners

BLANK Defined for Kids

blank

Definition of blank for Students

blank

Definition of blank for Students

Learn More about blank

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066