blackface
noun
black·face ˈblak-ˌfās 
often attributive
1
: dark makeup worn to mimic the appearance of a Black person and especially to mock or ridicule Black people
Note: The wearing of blackface by white performers was, from the early 19th through the mid-20th centuries, a prominent feature of minstrel shows (see minstrel sense 3a) and similar forms of entertainment featuring exaggerated and inaccurate caricatures of Black people. The use of blackface is considered deeply offensive.
2
plural blackfaces : a performer wearing blackface : minstrel sense 3a
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Extremists have pinpointed Black communities by engaging in what advocates have called digital blackface -- non-black people creating fake online profiles pretending to be Black. 
Whitney Tesi, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2022 The allegation represents the latest in a series of controversies facing Carreiro, who has apologized for wearing blackface during a 2009 event and has faced questions about his residency. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2022 For his tribute, which was supposed to be a piece of social commentary, Vereen entered the stage wearing blackface. Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 12 Aug. 2022 In recent years, several prominent politicians and entertainers, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Jimmy Fallon and Jason Aldean have come under fire for wearing blackface in the past. Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 16 July 2022 Williams, who was one of the first Black actors to star on Broadway, was often required to perform in blackface. Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 12 Aug. 2022 In some parts of Europe and Russia, however, blackface has endured. Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 16 July 2022 Besides, this isn’t the time for a devoted white progressive to dare blackface. Armond White, National Review, 6 July 2022 One of the most universal terms in comedy was created by Charlie Case, who pushed the Black entertainment needle away from racist minstrelsy and blackface during the vaudeville era by forging a new path of entertainment with storytelling. Elise Brisco, USA TODAY, 2 July 2022 See More
Whitney Tesi, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2022 The allegation represents the latest in a series of controversies facing Carreiro, who has apologized for wearing blackface during a 2009 event and has faced questions about his residency. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2022 For his tribute, which was supposed to be a piece of social commentary, Vereen entered the stage wearing blackface. Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 12 Aug. 2022 In recent years, several prominent politicians and entertainers, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, Jimmy Fallon and Jason Aldean have come under fire for wearing blackface in the past. Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 16 July 2022 Williams, who was one of the first Black actors to star on Broadway, was often required to perform in blackface. Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 12 Aug. 2022 In some parts of Europe and Russia, however, blackface has endured. Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 16 July 2022 Besides, this isn’t the time for a devoted white progressive to dare blackface. Armond White, National Review, 6 July 2022 One of the most universal terms in comedy was created by Charlie Case, who pushed the Black entertainment needle away from racist minstrelsy and blackface during the vaudeville era by forging a new path of entertainment with storytelling. Elise Brisco, USA TODAY, 2 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1