blank

1 of 3

adjective

ˈblaŋk 

1

archaic : colorless

2

a

: appearing or causing to appear dazed, confounded, or nonplussed

stared in blank dismay

b

: expressionless

a blank stare

3

a

: devoid of covering or content

a blank space

: such as

(1)

: free from writing or marks

a blank sheet of paper

(2)

: without any recorded sound or information

a blank drive/DVD/disk

b

: having spaces to be filled in

a blank application form

see also blank check

c

: lacking interest, variety, or change

blank hours

4

: absolute, unqualified

a blank refusal

5

: unfinished

especially : having a plain or unbroken surface where an opening is usual

a blank key

a blank arch

blankly adverb

blankness noun

blank

2 of 3

noun

1

obsolete : the bull's-eye of a target

2

a

: an empty space (as on a paper)

b

: a paper with spaces for the entry of data

an order blank

3

a

: a piece of material prepared to be made into something (such as a key) by a further operation

b

: a cartridge loaded with propellant and a seal but no projectile

4

a

: an empty or featureless place or space

my mind was a blank

b

: a vacant or uneventful period

a long blank in history

5

: a dash substituting for an omitted word

blank

3 of 3

verb

blanked; blanking; blanks

transitive verb

1

a

: obscure, obliterate

blank out a line

b

: to stop access to : seal

blank off a tunnel

2

: to keep (an opponent) from scoring

were blanked for eight innings

3

British slang : to treat (a friend or acquaintance) in a hostile or unfriendly way : to ignore or refuse to talk to (someone)

And unpopular Gardiner has found himself isolated after the show's cast and crew blanked him.

—Mark Jefferies

intransitive verb

1

: fade

—usually used with out

the music blanked out

2

: to become confused or abstracted

—often used with out

his mind blanked out momentarily

Synonyms

Adjective

• catatonic
• deadpan
• empty
• expressionless
• impassive
• inexpressive
• numb
• stolid
• vacant

Noun

• document
• form
• paper

Choose the Right Synonym for blank

empty, vacant, blank, void, vacuous mean lacking contents which could or should be present.

empty suggests a complete absence of contents.

an empty bucket

vacant suggests an absence of appropriate contents or occupants.

a vacant apartment

blank stresses the absence of any significant, relieving, or intelligible features on a surface.

a blank wall

void suggests absolute emptiness as far as the mind or senses can determine.

a statement void of meaning

vacuous suggests the emptiness of a vacuum and especially the lack of intelligence or significance.

a vacuous facial expression

Examples of blank in a Sentence

Adjective

a blank sheet of paper

a book with blank pages

Noun

The form has a blank for your signature.

The actors are shooting blanks.

Verb

The goalie blanked the Falcons for two periods in the hockey game.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

To immediately set the mood, decorate your grand entrance with a photo op: This could be as simple as hanging a banner on a blank wall and flanking it with some flowers. —Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Dec. 2024

The first is when Beth’s aunt, the famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, asked them point blank if they were getting married. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2024

Noun

The gameplay is deceptively simple: Review the scene of a crime and fill in blanks in the narrative with nouns and verbs discovered in dialogue or text within the environment. —The New York Times, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024

Wondering what the hell just transpired, Monica pushes Kayce to fill in the blanks. —Matt Cabral, EW.com, 9 Dec. 2024

Verb

An extraordinary weekend of football saw Manchester City lose an unprecedented three league games in a row as they were thrashed 4-0 in their own backyard by Tottenham Hotspur — and Erling Haaland (£15.1m) blanked yet again. —Abdul Rehman, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024

In the Middlesex League, Rachel Egan had a hat trick as Watertown (17-0) blanked MElrose 7-0. —Kevin Barrucci, Boston Herald, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English blank, blaunk "white, (of a document) having empty spaces to be filled in," borrowed from Anglo-French blanc, (feminine) blanche "white, pale, bright, not written on" (also continental Old French), going back to Gallo-Romance *blanko-, borrowed from Germanic *blanka- "bright, without color" (whence Old English blanca, blonca "white horse," Old Saxon wahsblank "white as wax, dun-colored," Middle Dutch blank "light-colored [of a complexion]," Old High German blanc, blanch "pale, white [especially of horses]," Old Icelandic blakkr "pale, brownish-yellow [especially of horses]"), derivative, with infixed -n-, of *blaka-, the etymon of Old English blæc, blac "black, (of other colors) dark" — more at black entry 1

Note: G. Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic) takes Germanic *blanka- as a derivative of a strong verb represented by Dutch blinken "to shine" (see blink entry 1). Elsewhere Dutch blinken, English blink entry 1, blench entry 1, etc., have been taken as secondary derivatives of *blanka- (see R. Lühr, Expressivität und Lautgesetz im Germanischen [Heidelberg, 1988], pp. 96-97; A. L. Lloyd, et al., Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, vol. 2, pp. 157-58).

Noun

derivative of blank entry 1

Verb

derivative of blank entry 1 or blank entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1764, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing blank

• blank check
• blank check company
• blank line
• blank page
• blank slate
• blank stare
• blank verse
• draw a blank
• go blank
• point-blank

Kids Definition

blank

1 of 3 adjective

ˈblaŋk 

1

: being without writing, printing, or marks

a blank sheet of paper

2

: having empty spaces to be filled in

a blank form

3

: having no expression

a blank look

4

: lacking variety, change, or accomplishment : empty

a blank day

5

: without exceptions : absolute sense 3

blank refusal

6

: not shaped into finished form

a blank key

blankly adverb

blankness noun

blank

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: an empty space (as on a paper)

b

: a paper with spaces for the entry of information

2

: an empty place

my mind was a blank

3

: a piece of material prepared to be made into something (as a key)

4

: a cartridge loaded with gunpowder but no bullet

blank

3 of 3 verb

1

: to keep from scoring

were blanked for eight innings

2

: to become confused

blanked out for a moment