blank

1 of 3

adjective

ˈblaŋk 

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• empty
• vacant
• motionless
• expressionless
• vague
• enigmatic
• catatonic

Noun

• form
• paper
• document

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 first Tron had played out as a series of face-offs featuring glowing figures against a black background, replicating the blank environment of an arcade screen. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025

Wear it as a blank canvas, or switch things up with a statement belt. —Catie Pusateri, Glamour, 26 June 2025

Noun

As the soirée begins, the ladies trickle in—gowns, gossip, and all—and for those who missed the cooking class, Angela and Kelli are more than happy to fill in the blanks. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 June 2025

Tracing the Franklin expedition’s footsteps Past this point in the story, the record is dotted with blanks that can only be filled in by archaeological finds, Inuit oral histories and scant documentary evidence. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025

Verb

But for the Red Sox offense, whose 330 runs are fourth-most in MLB, a pitcher who can give them a chance to score first by blanking the opposition out of the gate obviously gives them a much better chance to win. —Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025

The Los Angeles bullpen blanked the Mets for the next four innings, but Jeff McNeil hit a three-run triple off closer Tanner Scott in the bottom of the ninth, and Tyrone Taylor scored McNeil with an RBI single to send the game into extra innings. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 24 May 2025

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

Phrases Containing blank

• blank check
• blank check company
• blank line
• blank page
• blank slate
• blank stare
• blank verse
• draw a blank
• go blank
• point-blank

Rhymes for blank

• banc
• bank
• clank
• crank
• dank
• drank
• flank
• franc
• hank
• lank
• plank
• prank

Kids Definition

blank

1 of 3 adjective

ˈblaŋk 

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