the dark
noun
1
: a state in which no light can be seen
She stumbled around in the dark until she finally found the light switch.
He's 12 years old and still afraid of the dark.
2
: a place where little or no light can be seen
The burglars hid in the dark between the two buildings.
He bought the kids special rings that glow in the dark.
3
: a state in which something is hidden or kept secret
Most of their deals were made in the dark.
4
: a state of not knowing about something
I'm in the dark about the agreement.
The public was kept in the dark about the meeting.
Examples of the dark in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His father would walk up and down among the trees in the dark.
—
Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 May 2024
The Thames River-front wheel will glow in a red, silver, and black theme, inspired by the dark side, as well as the lightsaber colors from Sith Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Emperor Palpatine.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2024
His character is unafraid to confront inner demons and embrace the dark side of things, similar to this Water sign's Plutonian persona, which speaks about all that’s hidden beneath the surface.
—Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
As the opening scene — a graphic display of the bloodshed and brutality of war — unfolded in the dark cinema room, the accuser says, Spacey was pleasuring himself in the next seat.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
In the clips, Spears gives a close-up of the dark, painful bruises covering her right foot, the skin around her ankle visibly swollen.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 May 2024
And in the dark hours of Thursday morning, as the police cracked down on the protests, those faculty members were linking arms with students, allowing themselves to be arrested.
—Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 2 May 2024
Their links are revealed over time, even as the dreamers remain in the dark as to their own interconnectedness.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 1 May 2024
The lights automatically turn on in the dark, off during the day, but can also be adjusted and controlled from the remote.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Apr. 2024
Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 May 2024
The Thames River-front wheel will glow in a red, silver, and black theme, inspired by the dark side, as well as the lightsaber colors from Sith Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Emperor Palpatine.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2024
His character is unafraid to confront inner demons and embrace the dark side of things, similar to this Water sign's Plutonian persona, which speaks about all that’s hidden beneath the surface.
—Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
As the opening scene — a graphic display of the bloodshed and brutality of war — unfolded in the dark cinema room, the accuser says, Spacey was pleasuring himself in the next seat.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
In the clips, Spears gives a close-up of the dark, painful bruises covering her right foot, the skin around her ankle visibly swollen.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 May 2024
And in the dark hours of Thursday morning, as the police cracked down on the protests, those faculty members were linking arms with students, allowing themselves to be arrested.
—Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 2 May 2024
Their links are revealed over time, even as the dreamers remain in the dark as to their own interconnectedness.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 1 May 2024
The lights automatically turn on in the dark, off during the day, but can also be adjusted and controlled from the remote.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the dark.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the dark
Cite this Entry
“The dark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20dark. Accessed 7 May. 2024.
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