blind spot

noun

1

a

: the small circular area at the back of the retina where the optic nerve enters the eyeball and which is devoid of rods and cones and is not sensitive to light

called also optic disc

see eye illustration

b

: a portion of a field that cannot be seen or inspected with available equipment

2

: an area in which one fails to exercise judgment or discrimination

Examples of blind spot in a Sentence

When driving on the highway, you need to make sure no one is in your blind spot before changing lanes.

She has a blind spot concerning her son's behavior.

Recent Examples on the Web

Groupthink, affirmation bias and collective blind spots have led to all manners of disasters in the past. —Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025

In the United States, federal age-bias protections under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act begin at 40, which leaves Gen Z in a legal blind spot. —Jennifer Moss, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025

The lesson for global leaders is not to adopt its 37 words wholesale, but to adapt its principles—access, accountability, and equality—to local contexts, while avoiding its blind spots. —Danette Leighton, Time, 23 Sep. 2025

That’s a strategic blind spot tilting the playing field toward adversaries. —Chris Wysopal, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for blind spot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

blind spot

noun

1

a

: a point in the retina through which the optic nerve enters and which does not respond to light

b

: a part of an area that cannot be seen with available equipment

2

: an area of weakness (as in judgment)

Medical Definition

blind spot

noun

: the small circular area in the retina where the optic nerve enters the eye that is devoid of rods and cones and is insensitive to light

called also optic disc