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a(1)
(2)
: having less than ¹/₁₀ of normal vision in the more efficient eye when refractive defects are fully corrected by lenses
b
: of or relating to sightless persons
2
a
: unable or unwilling to discern or judge
blind to a lover's faults
b
: unquestioning
blind loyalty
3
a
: having no regard to rational discrimination, guidance, or restriction
blind choice
b
: lacking a directing or controlling consciousness
blind chance
c
4
a
: made or done without sight of certain objects or knowledge of certain facts that could serve for guidance or cause bias
a blind taste test
compare double-blind, single-blind
b
: having no knowledge of information that may cause bias during the course of an experiment or test
physicians blind to whether the test drug is administered
5
: defective: such as
a
: lacking a growing point or producing leaves instead of flowers
b
: lacking a complete or legible address
blind mail
6
a
: difficult to discern, make out, or discover
b
: hidden from sight : covered
blind seam
7
: having but one opening or outlet
blind sockets
8
: having no opening for light or passage : blank
blind wall
blinded; blinding; blinds
1
: something to hinder sight or keep out light: such as
a
: a window shutter
b
: a roller window shade
c
d
: blinder
2
: a place of concealment
especially
: a concealing enclosure from which one may shoot game or observe wildlife
3
a
: something put forward for the purpose of misleading : subterfuge
b
: a person who acts as a decoy or distraction
1
: blindly: such as
a
: to the point of insensibility
blind drunk
b
: without seeing outside an airplane
fly blind
c
: without knowledge of certain facts that could serve for guidance or cause bias
tasted the wine blind
2
—used as an intensive
was robbed blind
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Adjective
our old blind cat kept walking into walls and furniture
you'd have to be really blind to think that was a good idea
Verb
She was blinded as a child in a terrible fire.
I was blinded by the sun as I came around the corner.
He was blinded by love.
Noun
Some say the investigation is a blind to keep the public's attention off the governor.
Adverb
They had to fly blind through heavy smoke.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Th Herbert, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
Many Ukrainians thought the tragic event, which killed 289 civilian passengers and crew, would serve as a wake-up call to Europe and the U.S., which had largely turned a blind eye to Russia’s meddling in the region, said the director.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 1 Mar. 2023
Ackman’s announcement, posted on Twitter last Thursday, already has sparked a backlash by some who see these investors as turning a blind eye to workplace problems linked to Sabatini and his overall lack of contrition so far.
—Mark Arsenault, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Feb. 2023
Its 8,500 clients include those with special-needs: dogs that are blind, deaf and need wheelchairs to get around.
—Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2023
And while this Sunday’s concert is not her first Music Maker Foundation show, touring is complicated by the fact that the singer-guitarist is legally blind.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023
Both of the O'Neills are blind and work at Blind Connect, a nonprofit that offers life skills and employment training to people affected by vision loss.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2023
Hideg, 91, is blind in one eye and deaf in one ear from injuries suffered when bombs rained on Budapest during World War II.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2023
My friend is now blind and says Brutus is their Seeing Eye dog.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 13 Jan. 2023
Jeremy Hsu, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2016
This allows LLMs to avoid the confirmation bias that can blind humans.
—Quartz, 14 Feb. 2023
Leos have a similar life-giving force, though, just as the can also blind you, this sign carries significant intensity and power.
—Emily Newhouse, Allure, 4 Feb. 2023
But sometimes the light burns bright indeed, and the incandescence of human cultural creativity can blind and disorient.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2012
Chinese Type 99 tanks also are believed to use a laser dazzler intended to blind opposing tank gunners.
—Sebastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 13 Feb. 2023
The coating also festoons itself with sugar molecules that blind the woman’s antibodies to the foreign nature of the sperm, heading off a massacre.
—David H. Freedman, Discover Magazine, 19 Aug. 2011
Such a snow could blind your eyes and scour the features off your face.
—Louise Erdrich, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
Sometimes a Cancer's ability to be led by their emotions can blind them.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2022
Jace Bauserman, Field & Stream, 17 Jan. 2023
My blind overlooked the Leopold Memorial, the field formerly on a neighbor's farm where Leopold is thought to have died in 1948 while fighting a grass fire.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2022
In one double-blind study in India, researchers gave 31 volunteers the GenF20 Plus system and the remaining 30 participants placebos.
—Dallas News, 28 Oct. 2022
During a research trip to northwest India’s Keoladeo National Park in 2011, Jessica Yorzinski sat inside a hunting blind.
—Jennifer Abbasi, Discover Magazine, 12 Mar. 2014
Stones hunts wild lions by hanging an animal carcass from a tree to bait them, then taking photographs of the lions that approach from a nearby blind.
—Mark Jenkins, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2023
Later that day 11-year-old Sawyer Weigel took a 10-pointer while on stand during a deer drive, and his 17-year-old sister Ally Weigel would shoot a buck fawn from a ground blind.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2022
Blake has carried that identification into her role at NFB, the advocacy group for the blind started in 1940.
—Billy Jean Louis, Baltimore Sun, 25 Oct. 2022
Earlier this month, Harvard Medical School rheumatologist Karen Costenbader published an abstract documenting the first large scale double-blind randomized trial to investigate preventive measures against autoimmunity.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2021
Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 3 June 2022
Forced to leave the police force after turning blind, Johnson Chong See-tun takes on cold cases the police can't solve.
—Men's Health, 29 Mar. 2022
The city told the newspaper that the recipients of the initial email were supposed to be blind-copied, meaning their names and emails would have been hidden from other recipients.
—Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 14 Feb. 2022
The lab in the bowels of the winery, where the team is blind-tasting vial after vial of intricate blends?
—Sara L. Schneider, Robb Report, 15 Nov. 2021
This kind of attitude is how our public-health establishment wound up blind-sided by an actual epidemic.
—WSJ, 6 Oct. 2021
The going out to watch stars, stumbling blind through the difficult door.
—Anthony Lan, The New Yorker, 5 July 2021
This year, the competition took place in Estes park, Colorado, where a professional tasting panel made of whisky, beer, and wine experts blind tasted each whisky using a 100-point scale system.
—Emily Price, Forbes, 15 June 2021
This beer was selected Best of Show at a blind-tasting event of over 40 Oktoberfest beers hosted by the Growler magazine in 2019.
—Michael Agnew, Star Tribune, 9 Sep. 2020
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Adjective
Instead of turning a blind eye to these scenarios, now’s the time for executives to rebuild their company cultures on the foundation of trust, inclusivity and fairness.
—Th Herbert, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023
Many Ukrainians thought the tragic event, which killed 289 civilian passengers and crew, would serve as a wake-up call to Europe and the U.S., which had largely turned a blind eye to Russia’s meddling in the region, said the director.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 1 Mar. 2023
Ackman’s announcement, posted on Twitter last Thursday, already has sparked a backlash by some who see these investors as turning a blind eye to workplace problems linked to Sabatini and his overall lack of contrition so far.
—Mark Arsenault, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Feb. 2023
Its 8,500 clients include those with special-needs: dogs that are blind, deaf and need wheelchairs to get around.
—Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2023
And while this Sunday’s concert is not her first Music Maker Foundation show, touring is complicated by the fact that the singer-guitarist is legally blind.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023
Both of the O'Neills are blind and work at Blind Connect, a nonprofit that offers life skills and employment training to people affected by vision loss.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2023
Hideg, 91, is blind in one eye and deaf in one ear from injuries suffered when bombs rained on Budapest during World War II.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2023
My friend is now blind and says Brutus is their Seeing Eye dog.
—Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 13 Jan. 2023
Verb
But their confidence in technology may blind them to the fact that their human workers remain the likeliest source of innovation and value in the future.
—Jeremy Hsu, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2016
This allows LLMs to avoid the confirmation bias that can blind humans.
—Quartz, 14 Feb. 2023
Leos have a similar life-giving force, though, just as the can also blind you, this sign carries significant intensity and power.
—Emily Newhouse, Allure, 4 Feb. 2023
But sometimes the light burns bright indeed, and the incandescence of human cultural creativity can blind and disorient.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2012
Chinese Type 99 tanks also are believed to use a laser dazzler intended to blind opposing tank gunners.
—Sebastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 13 Feb. 2023
The coating also festoons itself with sugar molecules that blind the woman’s antibodies to the foreign nature of the sperm, heading off a massacre.
—David H. Freedman, Discover Magazine, 19 Aug. 2011
Such a snow could blind your eyes and scour the features off your face.
—Louise Erdrich, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
Sometimes a Cancer's ability to be led by their emotions can blind them.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2022
Noun
The tripod does come with an attachable blind with shooting windows that match up perfectly with the shooting rail.
—Jace Bauserman, Field & Stream, 17 Jan. 2023
My blind overlooked the Leopold Memorial, the field formerly on a neighbor's farm where Leopold is thought to have died in 1948 while fighting a grass fire.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2022
In one double-blind study in India, researchers gave 31 volunteers the GenF20 Plus system and the remaining 30 participants placebos.
—Dallas News, 28 Oct. 2022
During a research trip to northwest India’s Keoladeo National Park in 2011, Jessica Yorzinski sat inside a hunting blind.
—Jennifer Abbasi, Discover Magazine, 12 Mar. 2014
Stones hunts wild lions by hanging an animal carcass from a tree to bait them, then taking photographs of the lions that approach from a nearby blind.
—Mark Jenkins, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2023
Later that day 11-year-old Sawyer Weigel took a 10-pointer while on stand during a deer drive, and his 17-year-old sister Ally Weigel would shoot a buck fawn from a ground blind.
—Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2022
Blake has carried that identification into her role at NFB, the advocacy group for the blind started in 1940.
—Billy Jean Louis, Baltimore Sun, 25 Oct. 2022
Earlier this month, Harvard Medical School rheumatologist Karen Costenbader published an abstract documenting the first large scale double-blind randomized trial to investigate preventive measures against autoimmunity.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2021
Adverb
Docking can be called for in recipes where par- or blind-baking the crust is required.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 3 June 2022
Forced to leave the police force after turning blind, Johnson Chong See-tun takes on cold cases the police can't solve.
—Men's Health, 29 Mar. 2022
The city told the newspaper that the recipients of the initial email were supposed to be blind-copied, meaning their names and emails would have been hidden from other recipients.
—Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 14 Feb. 2022
The lab in the bowels of the winery, where the team is blind-tasting vial after vial of intricate blends?
—Sara L. Schneider, Robb Report, 15 Nov. 2021
This kind of attitude is how our public-health establishment wound up blind-sided by an actual epidemic.
—WSJ, 6 Oct. 2021
The going out to watch stars, stumbling blind through the difficult door.
—Anthony Lan, The New Yorker, 5 July 2021
This year, the competition took place in Estes park, Colorado, where a professional tasting panel made of whisky, beer, and wine experts blind tasted each whisky using a 100-point scale system.
—Emily Price, Forbes, 15 June 2021
This beer was selected Best of Show at a blind-tasting event of over 40 Oktoberfest beers hosted by the Growler magazine in 2019.
—Michael Agnew, Star Tribune, 9 Sep. 2020
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blind.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German blint blind, Old English blandan to mix — more at blend
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1633, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Adverb
1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of blind was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing blind
Dictionary Entries Near blind
Cite this Entry
“Blind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blind. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.
Kids Definition
blind
1 of 4 adjective1
a
b
: having less than frac::1/10 normal vision in the best eye even with the aid of glasses
2
: lacking in judgment or understanding
3
: made or done without the aid of sight or knowledge that could provide guidance or cause bias
a blind taste test
4
a
: having only one opening or outlet
a blind street
b
: having no opening
a blind wall
blind
2 of 4 verb1
: to make blind
2
: to make blind for a short time : dazzle
blinded by the lights
3
: to take judgment or understanding away from
blinded by love
blind
3 of 4 noun1
: a device (as a window shade) to prevent sight or keep out light
2
: a hiding place for hunters or wildlife observers
blind
4 of 4 adverb1
: without seeing outside of an airplane
fly blind
2
: without knowledge of facts that could guide or cause bias
Medical Definition
blind
1 of 2 adjective1
a
: lacking or deficient in sight
especially
: having less than ¹/₁₀ of normal vision in the more efficient eye when refractive defects are fully corrected by lenses
b
: of or relating to sightless persons
blind care
2
a
: designed to prevent participants from having information that could cause bias
a blind taste test
a blind clinical trial
see double-blind, single-blind
b
: having no knowledge of information that may cause bias during the course of an experiment or test
researchers blind to whether the investigational drug is administered
3
: having but one opening or outlet
the cecum is a blind pouch
blind
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to make blind
More from Merriam-Webster on blind
Nglish: Translation of blind for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of blind for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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