blacking out

verb

present participle of black out
1
as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of had spent most of her adulthood trying to black out memories of a wretched childhood

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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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 Residents around Milwaukee may see motorcycles rolling around town, goth concerts blacking out downtown parks, parades celebrating workers and fall kickoff events preparing for sweater weather. — Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2026 This curtain type is airy, casual, and gives your windows a sense of place and structure without feeling stuffy—or completely blacking out the sunshine during golden hour. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 4 Aug. 2026 Overwhelmed fans reported blacking out at the Eras Tour, all memories of the night dumped. — Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026 One surgeon takes sitting-down breaks during an operation to avoid blacking out from hunger. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 16 July 2026 But sometimes even blacking out after long night shoots? — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 4 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blacking out
  1. eradicating
  2. darkening
  3. fainting
  4. erasing
  5. closing in
  6. passing out
  7. abolishing
  8. collapsing
Verb
  • But somehow, in the midst of all this frat-boy revelry, Ilya is able to outline his vision for the future, one in which AI will have solved numerous human problems, including eradicating not only cancer but also loneliness and unhappiness.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
  • This park is the result of the Tompkins’ passion for this part of the world and their desire to rewild this part of Chile that had been overfarmed and overgrazed to the point of almost eradicating its native flora and fauna.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of eradicating
Verb
  • The neutral palette feels a little more friendly and relaxed rather than dark and serious, which adds a certain brightness back into the rapidly darkening days.
    — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But at a festive National Day meal in Riyadh, where families dined while patriotic songs filled the room, there was a growing sense that the public mood may be darkening.
    — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of darkening
Verb
  • His body collapses in on itself on the fainting couch in the sitting room.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That song’s music video is also darkly cinematic, showing Elizabeth playing with baby dolls in between sitting, bloodied, in bathtubs and on fainting couches.
    — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of fainting
Verb
  • Jameis Winston deserves a ton of credit for erasing a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter by leading two touchdown drives of 70-plus yards in the final 11 minutes of regulation.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Six years later, architect Chongxin Zhao was entrusted with restoring the space – in a way that celebrated its incredible architecture without erasing its history.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of erasing
Verb
  • National Hurricane Center specialist Elizabeth Adams said Monday that Nolo was closing in on Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a marine conservation area northwest of the islands.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The 50-day is at $616 and the 200-day at $626, with the 50-day turning higher and closing in on a cross above the longer average for the first time since the winter.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of closing in
Verb
  • Crisis responders are passing out gun locks in the South Deering neighborhood after a 4-year-old boy was shot inside a home on Tuesday.
    — Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Taxpayers who donate to an organization passing out the scholarships will receive a federal tax credit, a perk expected to further fuel the conservative school choice movement.
    — Bianca Vázquez Toness, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of passing out
Verb
  • This endeavor is not easy, and these companies are strongly advocating for abolishing the leap second.
    — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The vice president also blasted Nixon, who is in an uphill race to defeat Moody, for supporting defunding the police and abolishing prisons.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of abolishing
Verb
  • With the Bears trailing the Steelers 17-14 in the fourth quarter, Ditka caught a short pass and broke eight tackles before collapsing to the turf after a 63-yard gain that set up the tying field goal.
    — Ira Kaufman, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Merging with a magnetar All neutron stars are created the same way from the collapsing core of a massive star, but not all neutron stars are equal.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapsing

Browse Nearby Words

blacking
blacking out
blackish
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Cite this Entry

“Blacking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blacking%20out. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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