(of paper or other writing surface) having no marks; not written or printed on: a blank sheet of paper.
not filled in, as a printed form: a blank check.
unrelieved or unbroken by ornament, opening, decoration, etc.: a blank wall.
lacking some usual or completing feature: a blank roll of film.
(of a recording medium) containing no previously recorded information: a blank videocassette; a blank floppy disk.Compare prerecorded.
void of interest, variety, results, etc.: She sometimes occupied her blank days reading detective stories.
showing no attention, interest, or emotion: a blank expression on his face.
disconcerted; nonplussed; speechless: He looked blank when I asked him why he applied for the job.
complete; utter; unmitigated: blank stupidity.
Archaic. white; pale; colorless.
noun
a place where something is lacking; an empty space: a blank in one's memory.
a space in a printed form, test, etc., to be filled in: Write your name in the blank.
a printed form containing such spaces: Have you filled out one of these blanks?
a dash put in place of an omitted letter, series of letters, etc., especially to avoid writing a word considered profane or obscene.
Metalworking. a piece of metal ready to be drawn, pressed, or machined into a finished object.
Archery. the bull's-eye.
the object toward which anything is directed; aim; target.
blank cartridge.
verb (used with object)
to cross out or delete, especially in order to invalidate or void (usually followed by out): to blank out an entry.
Informal. to keep (an opponent) from scoring in a game.
Metalworking. to stamp or punch out of flat stock, as with a die.
Idioms for blank
draw a blank,
to fail in an attempt; be unsuccessful: We've drawn a blank in the investigation.
to fail to comprehend or be unable to recollect: He asked me their phone number and I drew a blank.
Origin of blank
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (noun and adjective) from Anglo-French, French blanc; adjective from Germanic; compare Old English blanca “white horse,” Old High German blanch “bright, white” (German blank )
People started showing off how GPT-3 could also autocomplete code or fill in blanks in spreadsheets.
This know-it-all AI learns by reading the entire web nonstop|Will Heaven|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
On Tuesday, Tailwind Acquisition, a blank check company formed by Krim and venture capitalist Chris Hollod, filed to raise $300 million through an initial public offering.
Casper’s CEO is filing for a blank check company. What does he plan to buy?|Lucinda Shen|August 19, 2020|Fortune
Primer’s BLANC judges summaries by assessing how much better BERT performs in this fill-in-the-blank game after having accessed the summary.
Can A.I. understand poetry?|Jeremy Kahn|August 18, 2020|Fortune
Yuki Morono, a microbiologist at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, found that the modeling work by Bradley and colleagues complements his own findings on deep sediment life — and might help fill in some blanks.
‘Zombie’ Microbes Redefine Life’s Energy Limits|Jordana Cepelewicz|August 12, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Tonn and Blank Construction An Indiana construction company.
The 26 Next Hobby Lobbys|Abby Haglage|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the case of Steven Eugene Washington, nothing more than a blank stare made him a target for police bullets.
Worse Than Eric Garner: Cops Who Got Away With Killing Autistic Men and Little Girls|Emily Shire|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was in front of him trying to talk him out of it but he was just looking at me with a blank stare on his face.
The Porn Party Where War Machine Went Ballistic|Aurora Snow|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Listening to Creed is perhaps his way of saying, “Forget everything you think you know about music, and start with a blank slate.”
Jenny Lewis on 'The Voyager,' the End of Rilo Kiley, and High School Classmate Angelina Jolie|Marlow Stern|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A young officer loaded the rifles of the 12-man firing squad each with a single bullet, one of them a blank.
The Last American Soldier Executed for Desertion|Michael Daly|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We may even say that these fits of incapacity and blank despondency are part of the cost of all creative work.
Adventures in Criticism|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
In this passage it would seem that he could not make up his mind and left a blank accordingly.
The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [Vol. 7 of 9]|William Shakespeare
I suppose a blank or a dash rather fends a good many people off—because it always has that effect upon me.
The Letters of Charles Dickens|Charles Dickens
Ah Fe, without removing his eyes from blank vacancy, saw that both Mrs. Tretherick and Carry were poorly dressed.
Tales of the Argonauts|Bret Harte
It would seem as if the celestial army had been supplied with blank cartridges.
A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century|Agnes M. (Agnes Mary) Clerke
British Dictionary definitions for blank
blank
/ (blæŋk) /
adjective
(of a writing surface) bearing no marks; not written on
(of a form, etc) with spaces left for details to be filled in
without ornament or break; unrelieveda blank wall
not filled in; empty; voida blank space
exhibiting no interest or expressiona blank look
lacking understanding; confusedhe looked blank even after the explanations
absolute; completeblank rejection
devoid of ideas or inspirationhis mind went blank in the exam
unproductive; barren
noun
an emptiness; void; blank space
an empty space for writing in, as on a printed form
a printed form containing such empty spaces
something characterized by incomprehension or mental confusionmy mind went a complete blank
a mark, often a dash, in place of a word, esp a taboo word
short for blank cartridge
a plate or plug used to seal an aperture
a piece of material prepared for stamping, punching, forging, etc
archerythe white spot in the centre of a target
draw a blank
to choose a lottery ticket that fails to win
to get no results from something
verb(tr)
(usually foll by out)to cross out, blot, or obscure
slangto ignore or be unresponsive towards (someone)the crowd blanked her for the first four numbers
to forge, stamp, punch, or cut (a piece of material) in preparation for forging, die-stamping, or drawing operations
(often foll by off)to seal (an aperture) with a plate or plug
US and Canadianinformalto prevent (an opponent) from scoring in a game
Derived forms of blank
blankly, adverbblankness, noun
Word Origin for blank
C15: from Old French blanc white, of Germanic origin; related to Old English blanca a white horse