point-blank

adjective

ˈpȯint-ˈblaŋk 

1

a

: marked by no appreciable drop below initial horizontal line of flight

b

: so close to a target that a missile fired will travel in a straight line to the mark

2

: direct, blunt

a point-blank refusal

point-blank adverb

Examples of point-blank in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade hit the crossbar from point-blank range and Dango Ouattara put a free header wide. —Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

Doyle was then executed, at point-blank range. —Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025

The third of them featured a point-blank shot by Vinnie Hinostroza, and the hard rebound off Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins’ leg pad acted like an outlet pass. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025

Casual killings at point-blank range, vicious motorcycle jackings, tossing someone off a building, assassinating the actual Mark Cuban (playing himself) — this, in the movie, is what the good guys do. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for point-blank

• gangplank
• nonbank
• outflank
• sandbank
• antitank
• interbank
• mountebank
• riverbank
• banc
• bank
• blank
• clank

Kids Definition

point-blank

adjective

ˈpȯint-ˈblaŋk

1

: aimed at a target from a very short distance away

fired from point-blank range

2

: blunt entry 1 sense 3, direct

a point-blank refusal

point-blank adverb