blank

1 of 3

adjective

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
a blank space
: such as
(1)
: free from writing or marks
a blank sheet of paper
(2)
: without any recorded sound or information
a blank drive/DVD/disk
b
: having spaces to be filled in
a blank application form
see also blank check
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

blank

2 of 3

noun

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

blank

3 of 3

verb

blanked; blanking; blanks

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
3
British slang : to treat (a friend or acquaintance) in a hostile or unfriendly way : to ignore or refuse to talk to (someone)
And unpopular Gardiner has found himself isolated after the show's cast and crew blanked him.Mark Jefferies

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
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of blank in a Sentence

Adjective a blank sheet of paper a book with blank pages Noun The form has a blank for your signature. The actors are shooting blanks. Verb The goalie blanked the Falcons for two periods in the hockey game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The Interior Ministry, which runs the elections, said that 41 percent of eligible voters nationwide had cast ballots and that blank ballots constituted only 8 percent. Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Montoya faulted managers for failing to follow up on complaints about two accidental discharges of blank rounds. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 If drivers do this, then all chargers can be used, with a blank space between the two sets. Brad Templeton, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 This is not only a war crime and a tragedy, but something that is a blank in the international law. CBS News, 25 Feb. 2024 The 25-year-old musician covered up all of her tattoos for the night and went with a blank canvas to compliment her black Celine gown. Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 This job includes being a mirror or a blank screen for people to project onto and find themselves in. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 1 Mar. 2024 Her carte blanche curation begins with what looks like a blank canvas crumpled into a sculpture. Amy Verner, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2024 Without this process, the likely result would be a customer paralyzed by choice, bamboozled by an eye-wateringly expensive blank canvas. Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
All their 24/7 tables are 5-10% softer than average, and 250+ online casino games fill in the blanks. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 For many students, higher education has historically filled in the blanks yet because of the chilling effect caused by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legislation aimed at dictating how professors can teach, HBCUs like FMU could become Florida’s safest space to have honest discussions about Black history. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 For anyone who wondered how the leader of the East Coast performance-art rock band the Fugs came to write a book on a band that was its polar opposite, Henley filled in the blanks. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2024 Even the major producer of the foam blanks that the boards are made from was here. Corky Carroll, Orange County Register, 26 Jan. 2024 Featuring a curved heat plate and three heat levels up to 400°F, the machine is ideal for working on both Cricut hat blanks (sold separately) or any hat of your choice. Nor'adila Hepburn, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2024 And with those gaps of information, people are filling in the blanks. Dara Kerr, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024 More than relief of sheer drudgery, that AI can help research topics and fill in the proverbial blanks means less friction for a disabled person in terms of cognitive load and motor skills. Steven Aquino, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Filling in these blanks was a painstaking effort for the team. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
The two of them also blanked out their eyebrows for an even more alien-like appearance. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 In the early game, Arkansas blanked Southeast Missouri State 5-0. Chip Souza, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2024 Rancho Buena Vista blanked Fallbrook 3-0, but had to go to OT to beat Valhalla 3-2. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2024 The Freeway League champion blanked a swift Canyon squad in the second half en route to an 8-3 victory in the Division 2 quarterfinals at Yorba Linda High. Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 11 Feb. 2024 Her co-stars, Charles Melton and Julianne Moore, were similarly blanked for supporting roles. USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 Other films with five or more nods that were blanked were Maestro (seven nods), All of Us Strangers (six) and Barbie and Saltburn (five each). Paul Grein, Billboard, 18 Feb. 2024 During the Super Bowl ad, David blanks on her iconic Spice Girls group name. Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024 After losing 3-1, Contreras blanked the Knights 2-0, forcing penalty kicks. Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English blank, blaunk "white, (of a document) having empty spaces to be filled in," borrowed from Anglo-French blanc, (feminine) blanche "white, pale, bright, not written on" (also continental Old French), going back to Gallo-Romance *blanko-, borrowed from Germanic *blanka- "bright, without color" (whence Old English blanca, blonca "white horse," Old Saxon wahsblank "white as wax, dun-colored," Middle Dutch blank "light-colored [of a complexion]," Old High German blanc, blanch "pale, white [especially of horses]," Old Icelandic blakkr "pale, brownish-yellow [especially of horses]"), derivative, with infixed -n-, of *blaka-, the etymon of Old English blæc, blac "black, (of other colors) dark" — more at black entry 1

Note: G. Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic) takes Germanic *blanka- as a derivative of a strong verb represented by Dutch blinken "to shine" (see blink entry 1). Elsewhere Dutch blinken, English blink entry 1, blench entry 1, etc., have been taken as secondary derivatives of *blanka- (see R. Lühr, Expressivität und Lautgesetz im Germanischen [Heidelberg, 1988], pp. 96-97; A.L. Lloyd, et al., Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, vol. 2, pp. 157-58).

Noun

derivative of blank entry 1

Verb

derivative of blank entry 1 or blank entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1764, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of blank was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near blank

Cite this Entry

“Blank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blank. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blank

1 of 3 adjective
1
: being without writing, printing, or marks
a blank sheet of paper
2
: having empty spaces to be filled in
a blank form
3
: having no expression
a blank look
4
: lacking variety, change, or accomplishment : empty
a blank day
5
: without exceptions : absolute sense 3
blank refusal
6
: not shaped into finished form
a blank key
blankly adverb
blankness noun

blank

2 of 3 noun
1
a
: an empty space (as on a paper)
b
: a paper with spaces for the entry of information
2
: an empty place
my mind was a blank
3
: a piece of material prepared to be made into something (as a key)
4
: a cartridge loaded with gunpowder but no bullet

blank

3 of 3 verb
1
: to keep from scoring
were blanked for eight innings
2
: to become confused
blanked out for a moment

More from Merriam-Webster on blank

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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