blacking out

Definition of blacking outnext
present participle of black out
1
2
as in darkening
to grow dark with the delivery of the knockout punch, the screen blacks out, and in the next scene the boxer wakes up in the hospital

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in fainting
to lose consciousness blacked out after hitting her head on the beam

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blacking out Some hospitalized miners recalled seeing smoke and blacking out, according to state media reports. ABC News, 23 May 2026 Gosling headlines Miller and Phil Lord’s film adaption of Andy Weir’s 2021 book of the same name, which centers on a school teacher turned astronaut tasked with stopping a mysterious entity from blacking out the sun. Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026 But beyond the humanitarian costs, blacking out the entire nation would be economically catastrophic for the region and could trigger a global recession. Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026 Any new rules and regulations proposed by the FCC that restrict leagues from paywalling, locally blacking out or spreading live sports content across numerous channels and apps could be challenged in court. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Mar. 2026 In Singapore 2023, Williams driver Logan Sargeant retired from the race due to the extreme conditions, while Lance Stroll collapsed by his car after the race, near blacking out in high-speed corners. Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025 Just half a year earlier, in March 2024, a landslide in the Trou sans Fond had ruptured all three cables, throttling or even blacking out the internet in Côte d’Ivoire and 12 other countries. Samanth Subramanian, The Dial, 14 Oct. 2025 The last thing Ameilia Boodoosingh Gopie remembers before blacking out on the delivery table is holding her daughter, Allana, for the first time. Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025 The other major station group blacking out Kimmel, Nexstar, did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment about its plans. Dan Heching, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacking out
Verb
  • Blaine begins to relentlessly beat Sam in retaliation for eradicating his wife, Anneliese.
    Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
  • The new state consumer services agency will focus on eradicating junk fees, increasing online privacy protections and overseeing oil companies, according to Newsom’s office.
    Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • Ever since her father left the fort almost a whole season ago, walking off into the darkening blue hills with both his hounds, never to return, her mother has taken to these long and aimless searches, sometimes with Brith and sometimes without.
    Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
  • Its trio, a lonely fox-deer, an axolotl apprentice healer and a red panda Viking, travel through a darkening natural world as the series folds identity, belonging and environmental crisis.
    Callum McLennan, Variety, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • Everything from fainting and panic attacks to seizures and heart attacks.
    Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 16 May 2026
  • Manning said smelling salts have only been approved for fainting because of the temporary increase of blood flow to the brain, and increased heart and respiratory rates can wake a person up.
    Jason Jones, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Anyelo Ramírez Martínez, 24, was arrested on March 5 in Santiago de Cuba while filming authorities erasing anti-government graffiti on the street.
    Sarah Moreno June 5, Miami Herald, 6 June 2026
  • Two years into his first term, those properties sold through a series of multi-million dollar transactions for more than the 2020 asking price, erasing much of the debt, according to reports.
    Irene Wright, USA Today, 6 June 2026
Verb
  • Meester plays all of this with a convincing lack of self-awareness and hilarious desire to keep the walls from closing in around her.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 May 2026
  • In private markets, Anthropic leapfrogged OpenAI to become the most valuable AI startup in Silicon Valley, closing in on a $1 trillion valuation in its latest funding round as more LLM companies look to go public this year.
    Dylan Butts, CNBC, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • Isis Petrie Williams, president of Haddon Township Pride, said that the 2,000 to 3,000 people in the parade will include local high school marching bands, youth sports teams and many people passing out candy.
    Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
  • Busch, who won more races in NASCAR's top three series than anyone in history, died suddenly on Thursday after passing out a day earlier in a driving simulator at General Motors facility in Concord, North Carolina.
    Mark Osborne, CBS News, 23 May 2026
Verb
  • During his 2022 campaign, Fetterman advocated for abolishing the filibuster to help pass legislation.
    Finch Walker, USA Today, 4 June 2026
  • Avila Chevalier’s campaign priorities also include abolishing ICE, adding affordable housing and securing federal funds to repair the city’s public housing.
    Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • The dread moving through professional offices right now is the sound of that assumption collapsing.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 May 2026
  • Badham had barely escaped another collapsing production, an early version of The Wiz starring Diana Ross, when producer Robert Stigwood suddenly called him in to take over what was then still called Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night, based on Nik Cohn’s famous New York magazine article.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blacking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacking%20out. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.

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